Fate
by missmargo
Summary: This is an alternate Universe (AU) fic. It is Nathan and Haley based, the idea is, that the two are meant to be together through fate, and it goes through different time frames to show that. Examples of time frames are Ancient Egypt, Medieval etc.
1. Default Chapter

Egyptian Times Chapter One -  
  
Haley Stood on her balcony looking over the desert in front of her, she watched as the slaves worked under the hot sun. She never thought it was fair that just because she was born to royalty that she should live like she did while others lived.  
  
"Sister, why do you stand overlooking the world?" Her brother Lucas asked as he approached her.  
  
"The world is an unfair think Lucas. Why should we be here and they be there?" She asked him.  
  
"We were born to this life, it is our luck." he replied.  
  
"Luck isn't enough." She stormed out of the room.  
  
She hated to be here while the rest of the world waited for her. She decided to break the rules and escape to the outside world.  
  
As she got to the outside doors her brother caught up to her.  
  
"Where are you going Haley?"  
  
"Lucas I want to go see a little bit of the outside world. You get to all the time, I want to once, please let me." She looked into his eyes and did her cute little face and he couldn't say no.  
  
"I'll get the guards distracted." he replied and she thanked his with a hug.  
  
He had the guards stand down and Haley left she got outside and walked down the steps. She didn't know where to go, she walked to the streets of the city.  
  
She realized that she had no money and nothing to eat and hunger was getting to her. then it came to her, she had on a pile of gold jewelry.  
  
She went to a stand selling fruit. "Can I trade you this for some of your fruit?" She held out a gold ring.  
  
"yes m'am, that ring would get you two apples." he replied.  
  
"OK." she held out her ring and the man grabbed her wrist he began to take off her bracelet. "Help!" She yelled as she tried to get her hand free. No one on the street even turned to help her. The man was starting to hurt her. "help!" She yelled again.  
  
Just then a young man, probably about her age came up behind the man. "Let her go." he said in a commanding voice.  
  
"She stole from me." he lied. "I was trying to get my pay."  
  
The young man looked to Haley. She was outraged. "you liar." She yelled.  
  
"You better not be telling a lie, if I find out you are I will cut your throat."  
  
"Fine, lady, you can have the apples for free." he said, handing her the ring back.  
  
The young man let him go and Haley walked off.  
  
"Are you sure you're OK miss?" he asked.  
  
"Yes now I am." She looked at him really for the first time. He really was one of the most handsome men she had ever seen.  
  
"Well I hate it when men like that take advantage of girls who are vulnerable." he replied.  
  
"I am not vulnerable. sir." She replied insulted.  
  
"I know I know I didn't mean it like that. I just meant it that men like that try to take advantage of beautiful young girls who are all by themselves." he replied, she had gotten herself en-fixed in looking into his beautiful deep blue eyes.  
  
"Oh." She replied weakly  
  
"So why haven't I ever seen you before, I know most people around here and I don't think I would forget a girl with your natural beauty." he replied, he was a very good talker. he moved his hand to stroke the side of her face.  
  
She didn't know what to say to that. she had become drawn to him. She never felt like this before. when he touched her she became weak at the knees, they buckled. he caught her just before she fell.  
  
"Are you OK?" He asked.  
  
"Yeah I think so," she replied, "That's never happened before."  
  
He just smiled. "I'm Nathan."  
  
"Haley." She replied. She still couldn't take her eyes off him.  
  
"You're very beautiful Haley." Nathan said with a smile. he had never seen a girl who he had ever been so attracted to. He wanted to kiss her right there, but she looked like she might just die if he did.  
  
Little did he know that she felt the same. They just stood there, the sun began to set.  
  
"Come here." He said. "I want to show you sunset from my house."  
  
He lead her to a bigger home, it was full of people, but one of the bigger ones of the street. he opened a curtain made out of ripped material.  
  
She of course had seen other beautiful sunsets from her room, but she never had seen one that made her feel so happy.  
  
After the sun set she realized that she had been out too late.  
  
"I need to go." She said out of nowhere.  
  
"Alright. I will take you home." he replied.  
  
"No I can walk." She said, not wanting him to know where she was.  
  
"No." he said, "I don't want you to have to go by yourself."  
  
"Alright." She replied.  
  
They walked to near the palace, "This is close enough." She said.  
  
"Alright. can I see you again Haley?" he asked.  
  
"I don't know." She replied.  
  
"Please?" He asked.  
  
"I really don't know, if I can get out again." She replied.  
  
"Then can I have a kiss goodbye just in case I never see you again?" he asked.  
  
She smiled but before she could say yes he had already pulled herself close to him and began to kiss her passionately.  
  
She never felt like she had ever before. he broke free from her. "I know I just met you, but I've never felt like this for anyone before." He said.  
  
"Me too." She said, her knees buckled again. He held her up again and pulled her into another kiss.  
  
"Haley!" Yelled a voice behind her. It was Lucas.  
  
"Luke." She replied horrified.  
  
Nathan just stood there. "I'm sorry I didn't realize you were with someone." Nathan said coldly.  
  
"He's my brother." She replied almost in tears.  
  
"You cannot conduct yourself like this Haley." Lucas commanded. "I let you out of the palace for one day and you do this."  
  
"The palace?" Nathan asked.  
  
"She didn't tell you then? She is Haley, daughter of the pharaoh. And you have broken the law."  
  
"Lucas no!" Haley yelled. "Don't turn him in. He didn't know."  
  
"But you did." Lucas replied. "You get out of here." He yelled to Nathan, he didn't move. He looked at Haley who mouthed. 'go.' He left, not taking his eyes off of her.  
  
"Sister, how could you conduct yourself like that?" Lucas asked.  
  
"Lucas I wanted freedom. I got it for one day and I never meant to meet him, I never meant to fall in lo-"  
  
"Don't finish that sentence." he yelled.  
  
"But Lucas."  
  
"No, I forbid you to see him again. If you do, then I will tell father."  
  
"Lucas No!" Haley said.  
  
"Yes, you cannot see him, it is forbidden." He replied.  
  
She broke down and cried. Lucas knew that when his sister cried he always gave in to her. "Haley, you know I love you so much, and I just don't want you to get your heart broken."  
  
"But I really really like him." She replied.  
  
"I know I know." he replied pulling his crying sister into a hug.  
  
--------------------------------------------------  
  
Nathan got back to his home, the princess? why did he have to fall for the her, but he had, and now what could he do?  
  
He fell back onto his straw mattress, he would probably never see her again, her brother would do that for sure, besides, what could he give her, he had nothing and she was everything.  
  
Chapter 2 -  
  
Haley had spent the last week in her room looking out on the desert. A couple times she could have sworn she had seen Nathan working in the hot sun, but she never could be sure.  
  
Nathan had gone by the palace tons of times since the day he had seen Haley, he wished he could see her again, but he knew her brother would definitely make sure he wouldn't.  
  
Lucas had watched his sister melt into this depressive state for the last few days. he hadn't told their father because he would have her punished and he didn't want to have his sister hurt, but he hated to see her the way she was too. She never left her room and he figured that his father would soon notice.  
  
Nathan was taking his normal walk that evening he walked up past the palace and he saw torches up in the windows, he wondered where Haley was at that exact moment. Mid thought he heard something behind him, he turned to see what it was, but when he turned he had something convering his face. He struggled to get free but he couldn't. He eventually gave up, her brother must have decided to have me killed He thought But she was worth it. he let whoever had his arms guide him, he felt some steps and he soon saw thin bits of light through the material over his eyes. He still had no idea where he was, nor where he was going.  
  
he was stopped eventually he heard knocking. "Come to the door."  
  
"No!" A muffled voice said.  
  
"Yes." The first voice commanded again.  
  
"Fine," the second muffled one said again.  
  
Nathan heard a door open and the people hold him moved him forward then let go. Someone pulled the material off of him. He squinted his eyes a little then he realized he was face to face with Lucas, Haley's brother.  
  
"You seem to be the only thing that can make her happy right now." he said as he turned to leave the room  
  
Nathan turned around, there was Haley just as stunned as him.  
  
They stood there in silence for a few minutes. Neither knew what to say.  
  
"I've missed you." Haley finally said, it was a weak thing to say, but it worked, it broke the silence.  
  
"Me too." He replied. He stepped closer to her.  
  
She did the same. He pulled her into a kiss.  
  
"Why didn't you tell me you were a princess?" he asked as he broke free from her.  
  
"It would have changed everything. And besides half of those people in the marketplace would want me dead as the princess." She replied. "if you want to leave go ahead."  
  
"Why would I want to leave?" he asked confused.  
  
"Because if my father finds out, he will kill you." She replied.  
  
"Then I guess I will die, because there is no way I'm leaving this spot." He said as he kissed her forehead.  
  
She buried her head in his bare chest. "I think I've fallen in love with you." She said.  
  
"And I know I've fallen in love with you." She looked up at his face again.  
  
"I don't want to lose you." She said.  
  
"Who ever said you would lose me?" He asked.  
  
"Life." She replied.  
  
"Well we met and they would have to kill me before I give up on you." he said with a laugh.  
  
"that's not a laughing matter, it really could happen." She said.  
  
"Well then we have to make the best of what we have now don't we." He gave her another kiss.  
  
They became more and more consumed by the kiss. She pulled him back wards and they fell onto her bed made of feathers, him on top of her. He stopped.  
  
"Don't." She said and she began to kiss him again.  
  
Lucas was down the hall he heard voices outside. His father.  
  
"Are you sure you don't understand why my daughter has not left her room in five days?" He asked his advisor's.  
  
Lucas jumped up. "Father." He called.  
  
"Yes my son. Ahh, you will know, why is your sister upset so much lately. Her attendants have told me that she hasn't even eaten much."  
  
"I do not know father, let me talk to her."  
  
"I am her father, and the Pharaoh. I will talk to her."  
  
"She may be more comfortable talking to me, I am closer to her age, and we are very close father, please let me?"  
  
He nodded. "Go ahead my son." he moved his hand to let him go through.  
  
Lucas ran down to his sisters door. he knocked on it hard.  
  
He didn't hear anything for a few seconds. "Coming." Came Haley's voice soon after.  
  
She came to the door, she looked messy. "What is going on?" Lucas asked.  
  
"Nothing Lucas." Haley replied.  
  
"Well he needs to go, father will be in to talk to you soon."  
  
Nathan immediately ran to the door. he gave Haley a kiss on the cheek. "Goodbye." he said as he ran out. Lucas looked at his body, he had his sisters busy decoration paint on him.  
  
He eyed Haley. But walked into her room. "What are you going to tell father?"  
  
"I will tell him that I am saddened because I want to have more freedom, you can leave te palace but I can't he will believe that."  
  
"You just want freedom so you can see him." He said with a look in his eyes.  
  
"What's wrong with that?" She asked.  
  
"Well other than the fact that he is probably taking advantage of you." he pointed to her body.  
  
"You have no idea what you are talking about Lucas." she was angry.  
  
"Well i don't care about what you do behind closed doors, but remember, father will be in here in a few minutes, you may want to wash up."  
  
She did. he left and her father came in a few minutes. She told him the thing about her wanted freedom. He stood up. "it has never been like this before, but the times are changing, so I will think about it." He leaned toward his daughter and gave her a kiss on the forehead.  
  
She stood up and smiled. Everything was falling into place.  
  
------------------------------------------------  
  
Nathan stood outside the palace, he looked up to the balcony off of Haley's room. He wished she could just come with him be with him forever.  
  
Chapter 3 Ancient Egypt -  
  
"Lucas summon my daughter."  
  
"You mean my sister." Lucas replied to his father.  
  
"Yes, go."  
  
Lucas went. He got to Haley's room. She had been in this state of happiness since the other night. Lucas hated to think about what they had done that night, so he put it in the back of his mind.  
  
"Haley." he said as he got to her door. He heard her talking to someone inside.  
  
He walked in, there was Haley talking to their father's advisiors daughters Brooke and Peyton.  
  
"it was so, ah magical." She sighed.  
  
"You know if you keep telling people about him you will get caught sister." Lucas said.  
  
"Oh hi Lucas. Let me guess father wants me to go see him, alright I will."  
  
He was a little stunned about the way she talked. She was halfway down the hall.  
  
He turned to the other two girls.  
  
"Hello." They said nicely. They bowed.  
  
"You don't have to do that, I'm not the Pharoah." he replied.  
  
"Yet." Brooke said and the two girls got up and began to walk out.  
  
he stood there looking around his little sisters room. he wished of all ways that he could get her to not love this guy anymore. He knew she would have her heart broken. But she had never been this happy before.  
  
"Lucas Lucas Lucas. He is going to let me take trips out of the palace. But they will be supervised but I can get away." She said happily "I'm going today!"  
  
"Be careful Haley."  
  
"I know I can take care of myself."  
  
"OK."  
  
She got all ready for her trip.  
  
She met her father by the palace enterance. he had a whole group of people to go with her.  
  
"Father?" She said upset. "This is worse than the palace.  
  
"Well do you want to be stuck in the palace all the time?"  
  
"Thank you father." She said. She bowed her head and left.  
  
She walked the streets of the market all around her people bowed to her, she hated it, now she knew what Lucas hated.  
  
She made her plan to sneak off when she saw Nathan. She smiled and he 'mouthed meet me here.'  
  
She nodded. And after a few minutes she managed to sneak off ito a crowd.  
  
"Where is the princess?" Asked one of the guards. They searched frantically for her.  
  
-------------------------------------------  
  
"Hello." Nathan said coming up behind her. "my princess."  
  
She smiled. "My prince."  
  
"No. not really."  
  
"Well you are mine." She replied.  
  
They walked off to his house.  
  
----------------------------------------------------  
  
"Your highness, your daughter is missing." Said one of his advisors after being informed.  
  
He was outraged. "What? my daughter? where did you lose her?"  
  
"A crowd." he replied.  
  
"We must find her. I will deal with all of you after we find my daughter. Lucas you come and help."  
  
He nodded and took off, he wished he knew where to find this Nathan, then he could stop this from ending terribly.  
  
They left the palace. They said they were going to search the entire city.  
  
"I love you." Nathan said to Haley.  
  
"I love you too." She replied back to him.  
  
"Good." He said as he pulled her into another kiss.  
  
--------------------------------------------------------  
  
Haley's father insisted on Lucas coming with him. Lucas kept his eyes open.  
  
"We must search all of the homes." He commanded.  
  
He sent his men in all directions and he walked toward one end of the city, it was the even poorer end of the city.  
  
They had gone through over ten homes.  
  
They went to the door of a huge home with a lot of families living in it.  
  
He searched each one. he got to one on the top floor, knocked on the door very hard.  
  
"Go away." A voice called from the other side.  
  
"I am the Pharoah I will not go away. I am looking for my daughter and you will let me in."  
  
There was no sound on the other side of the door. he nodded to his guards to break the door down.  
  
"Haley!" he yelled. "What has this man done to you?"  
  
She stood there with nothing to say "Nothing Father, this is my choice."  
  
"What?" He yelled.  
  
"I chose this father."  
  
"Well it isn't aloud. Arrest him." Her father yelled.  
  
"Nathan run." Haley said. he had nowhere to go.  
  
he ran to the window and jumped.  
  
Haley screamed.  
  
She ran to the window. looked down. Her father;s guards had caught him after he slip off when he got to the bottom. She cried and slid herself down the wall. Chapter 4 -  
  
Haley jsut sat with herself up against the wall until her father's guards carrried her back to the palace.  
  
"I am very disappointed in you my daughter. Why would you lie to me and sink to that level of people?"  
  
"I met him when I snuck out of the palace a while ago." Haley replied.  
  
"I am asshamed no daughter of mine will be with a slave."  
  
"But I love him." She screamed. "get out of my room."  
  
"No one will talk to me like that. I am leader of this country and no one will talk to the Pharoah like that." he commanded.  
  
She wasn't afraid of her dad at all. "No." She paused. "I will talk to you like that. I am still your daughter."  
  
He got very angry but then he saw more tears fill his young daughters eyes. He was just like Lucas he couldn't stand to see Haley cry, so he stormed out of the room.  
  
She stayed in her room all night Lucas came up that evening.  
  
"Haley. How are you doing?"  
  
"How do you think I am doing Lucas?"  
  
"Well I don't want to be the bearer of bad news, but he is to be executed at dawn of Next sunday because it is a holiday this SUnday. I'm sorry let me help you." He reached out to hug her but she pulled away.  
  
"Go away Lucas. I know it is a holiday this sunday. You can't help me, not unless you can save him before a week and a half. " She cried and he tried to come to comfort her again but she pushed him away.  
  
He left.  
  
Nathan was taken by force to the dungeons of the palace, the only thoughts going through his mind were of Haley. The times they had spent together. What trouble she was going to be in. How she would be after he was gone. he knew if she loved him even half as much as he loved her then she would be miserable for a long time.  
  
he was thrown into a cell in the dungeon. he sat there for what seemed like hours. After a few hours the Pharoah himself came downstairs.  
  
"You stand up." He commanded Nathan.  
  
He obeyed.  
  
"You are in love with my daughter are you not?" He asked.  
  
"Yes sire I am." he replied confidently.  
  
"You are beneath her." he said coldly.  
  
"But I love her and she loves me." Nathan said his voice getting louder.  
  
"And you make her happier than I have seen her for a long time, since her mother was alive, but I am bound by the law. Any royalty who becomes involved with a commoner will be punished my the commoners death. Yours will be the sunday after next. Goodbye." And he walked away.  
  
Nathan smashed himself into the wall he broke down and the guards had to restrain him from hurting himself any more than that.  
  
Aventually he calmed down and curled up into the corner .  
  
Haley got no sleep that night or any otehr night since then. She tried every possible way to get him out of the prison making palns in her mind but all of them ended with her getting him killed in the end.  
  
It was dawn of the sunday of Nathan's death. She got herself ready for the day, she wanted to look beautiful for Nathan this morning, she wanted to look strong.  
  
She met with Lucas before the execution.  
  
"Haley you don't want to be down there." He tried to convince her.  
  
"I want to be where Nathan is, besides, I've seen people be executed before."  
  
"But not a person you cared for." Lucas begged her not to go.  
  
He failed, they got down to the grounds, their father was there already. A crowd was beginning to join them. Haley stood there completely still she tried so hard not to cry and until Nathan came out she had suceeded.  
  
He was walked out with two of the palace guards. he saw Haley and he would give anything to see her with a face that wasn't this terrible.  
  
Nathan was going to be beheaded as his death. Haley wanted to break down but she wanted Nathan to see her strong.  
  
The executioner came on to the platform he had a huge sword in his hands.  
  
Her father was standing up there next to them. Watching every move.  
  
Nathan was forced into the position for them to kill him.  
  
Haley began to breathe faster and heavier.  
  
The sword was sharpened.  
  
She stopped breathing altogether.  
  
The executioner raised the sword.  
  
Haley ran she jumped up onto the platform and covered Nathan.  
  
"No Father." She yelled. "I won't let you do it."  
  
"I am bound by the law Haley now move."  
  
"No. I will not move. If you want to kill him I will die too. As will my child."  
  
Silence entered the area there was no sound at all. Even Nathan was shocked.  
  
"What?" her father asked.  
  
"My child will die too." Haley said as strong as she could. "Don't kill him father. If anything, let me and him leave the country but don't kill him."  
  
He stood there everyone waited for his decision "I have come to a decision........"  
  
Chapter 5  
  
"My decision is based on two things. First my daughter I am ashamed of you for sinking to this level."  
  
"I have not done anything wrong father. Love is not wrong."  
  
"Which is why I have chosen to let the two of you live. I can not tamper with what the gods have chosen. Let him go." he motioned to the guards to let Nathan free.  
  
He stood up and hugged Haley. "I love you." he whispered.  
  
"I love you too." Haley replied.  
  
"I know." And he kissed her.  
  
Everything from that moment on was a blur. In the end though, Haley and Nathan were back in her room.  
  
nothing was said, they were happy just being in each other's arms.  
  
Lucas interrupted and hour later.  
  
"Haley?" he asked as he entered the room.  
  
"Hello Lucas." She replied.  
  
"Father summons to speak with Nathan."  
  
"Alright?" Haley asked Nathan.  
  
"Yes." he replied. He followed Lucas down to the main room.  
  
Haley said up in her room she was happy. truly and completely happy.  
  
Happiness is a powerful thing, it can come and go in an instant. it can stay for only seconds or it can last forever.  
  
It wasn't lasting forever, not her happiness. She heard a yell from somewhere else in the palace.  
  
She immediately thought of Nathan and ran as fast as she could to the main hall.  
  
She found a confusing situation.  
  
"Nathan," she screamed as she ran over to him. he was on the ground with her father's guards on top of him, the guard was dead. Nathan's body was lifeless. "what have you done?" She cried.  
  
She looked to her father. He did not look satisfied. Next Haley looked to Lucas who was holding a sharp sword.  
  
She cried her eyes out. What had happened.  
  
"Haley." Lucas tried to comfort her.  
  
"You killed him, you killed him Lucas you killed him. How could you."  
  
"I did not kill him." He said calmly.  
  
"Then what happened, why is he dead?" She said between sobs.  
  
"Father had him summoned down here for him to be killed." Lucas began. "He had his strongest guard ambush him as he came in. But father didn't realize that just because he was his strongest guard doesn't mean he is the strongest in the land."  
  
"You aren't making any sense Lucas." Haley replied still undeniably confused.  
  
"I killed father's guard just as he was to kill Nathan. He fell to the floor on top of Nathan causing him to fall too."  
  
"A fall should not kill him. What happened?"  
  
"I don't know sister I don't know."  
  
"Why did you do it father?" Haley screamed changing her focus from Lucas to her father. "Why would you want him dead?"  
  
"He is not good enough for you." He yelled.  
  
"No. he was right for me. You are not good enough for me. I deserve better than you." Haley screamed.  
  
her father looked ashamed he dropped himself into his chair. "My child, you are right. I have taken away what should have been the most important thing in your life, your happiness."  
  
"No you have not." Said a muffled voice in the room.  
  
Haley turned to Nathan. He was moving. "Nathan." She exclaimed. Between her and Lucas they managed to get the body off of Nathan. "Are you alright?"  
  
"I am now." He replied breathing heavily.  
  
"So am I." She replied.  
  
At the end of that month Haley and Nathan were wed. Haley's father who had begun to come back to reality about what was real and good destroyed the law of marrying within a different class. He also gave the entire east wing of the palace to Nathan and Haley after they were wed.  
  
Haley gave birth to a healthy child months later. That happiness she thought she had had before doubled when their son was born.  
  
A year later Lucas was wed to Brooke the advisor's daughter and he became Pharaoh ten years after that when their father died. Their father became an entirely different man after the birth of his grandson. He began his rein as a power hungry man who cared for Nothing but himself but by the end Dan had become a caring ruler who brought the country to the future. 


	2. Medieval Era

Chapter 6 -  
  
"Lady James. Are you awake?" Asked Haley James maid and aid to the Princess of England.  
  
"Now I am Maria." She replied.  
  
"I'm sorry miss, I will let you sleep."  
  
"No Maria it is fine I need to get up anyway." Haley replied smiling.  
  
She sat up and looked out of the window. She was in the central tower in her father's castle, she loved her view of the countryside on regular days, but now it was different.  
  
England and France had been at war for two months now. Haley woke up every day to find news of more soldiers dying. She hated the war it was terrible to her and she did not believe that war was the best way to get out of all of this.  
  
Maria helped Haley get ready for the day she pulled on her dress it weighed a ton. Haley hated it too it was so unfair, all the peasants would kill to wear her fancy clothes. But Haley wished she could simply wear the light clothing they wore all day.  
  
In all truth Haley hated most traditions of chivalry, she hated being a princess and longed for freedom each day.  
  
She was summoned to her mother and father that morning.  
  
"Hello father. Mother." She said as she reached the throne room.  
  
"Hello Haley." her mother Abigale greeted her.  
  
"hello my sweet daughter." Her father William greeted her. Haley out of the three girls in the family was her father's favorite. Peyton and Brooke were more like their mother so they got along better. Haley was the youngest of all four of them, her brother Lucas was oldest. He had not gotten along with Peyton or Brooke but he took to Haley when she was born. Peyton and Brooke were married to Princes in Spain and Italy. Lucas was off fighting in the war. Haley prayed for him everyday.  
  
"Why did you call me down here today?" Haley asked.  
  
"Haley your mother and I have decided the battles are getting too close to here, today you me and your mother will be going to see your sister Peyton in Italy until we have won the war."  
  
"I want to stay father. I am not afraid of the war, Lucas is aloud to fight and stay here."  
  
"Honey, your brother is a man and he is fighting for our country, I wish everyday that he is here with me but he chose to go." Haley's mother replied.  
  
"Yes mother." Haley replied, he mom was beginning to tear in the eyes and she didn't want to bring up pain for her.  
  
Haley was ready to go in a little while, her things she would need had been packed and she was ready to go.  
  
they got into the carriage late that morning. They began the journey, it was going to be a long trip because they had to take the longer older road to avoid the battle.  
  
After about an hour of going the horses became restless outside.  
  
"Father what is going on?" Haley asked confused. "Why are they so restless.  
  
Haley's father stuck his head out of the window of the carriage he let out a gulp and fell back into the carriage. An arrow had hit him right in the back of the head, he was killed instantly.  
  
The carriage was ambushed.  
  
They grabbed Haley's mother first because she was protecting her daughter.  
  
A knight wearing the light blue of the French cut her head right off in front of Haley.  
  
She screamed but as soon as she did the man had grabbed her.  
  
"Stop!" Commanded a voice Haley couldn't see the person behind the voice. "You have just killed the king and queen of England and this, if I am not mistaken is the youngest princess, what is your name girl?"  
  
She didn't say a thing. the man holding her kicked her she yelped. "Haley. I am the daughter of King William."  
  
"You mean the late King William." he motioned toward her fathers body.  
  
She cried.  
  
"What is going on here Gregory?" Asked another voice. Haley could see him, he was a young handsome knight on horseback.  
  
"We killed the royal king and queen of England and we were just about to kill their daughter Helen was it?"  
  
"Haley." She replied coldly. She figured if she was going to die anyway she could be as mean as she wanted.  
  
"You killed the kind and queen?" the young man asked.  
  
"Yes we just need to kill her and the entire royal family is gone." the older knight  
  
"No, there is the Prince Lucas, who now is king by the looks of what you and your men did. We could have negotiated with him for his family. But you ended that now didn't you?"  
  
"Sire, we are at war and may I remind you Nathan that you are not the king of France yet, you are still prince."  
  
"But I do have more power than you and I refuse to let you kill her."  
  
"You father ordered for us to kill the royalty from England we came across."  
  
"She is a child Gregory, younger than me for sure. You would kill a child?" The Prince Nathan asked.  
  
"It is war and your father ordered me, she is royal."  
  
"How old are you child?" Nathan asked Haley.  
  
"I am fifteen." She replied.  
  
"See she is four years younger than even me Gregory. I will not let you kill her." Nathan commanded.  
  
"But sire."  
  
"No. Let her go." Nathan commanded.  
  
He reluctantly let Haley go. Nathan got off of his horse and approached her.  
  
"Haley right?" He asked.  
  
"Yes. Haley James daughter of King William and Queen Abigale James." She replied.  
  
"yes. I am Nathan Scott the son."  
  
"The son of the French king Daniel Scott and Debra Scott. I know." Haley said coldly.  
  
"You shall ride with me?" he asked.  
  
"Do I have a choice?" She replied.  
  
"It is me or one of my men." He replied holding out his hand.  
  
She took his hand she was in no way going to go near those knights. "This does not mean you are forgiven."  
  
"I did not kill your family." he replied a little aggravated.  
  
"No, but the only reason you saved me was because I am only fifteen. If you had gotten to my carriage at the same time as your men you would have killed my father and mother too."  
  
He was silent he knew she was probably right but he was not going to reply to that because she had just watched as her parents were both killed.  
  
Arrows began to fly at them at random from a group of British soldiers dressed in all red from in the trees from one side of the road.  
  
"Men ride! Ride! Scatter!" Nathan yelled. he took off into the woods on the other side of the road.  
  
He went from going slowly in a trot to bolting in a run. Haley immediately grabbed onto his waist.  
  
He hadn't expected it and he felt a weird feeling when she had done it. She had felt it too and her first thought was to let go and she did, he felt her let go and quickly grabbed her so she didn't fall. She took a deep breath happy that she hadn't fallen off of a speeding horse in the middle of nowhere.  
  
Nathan stopped a little way forward. None of the other men had come the same way.  
  
"Why did you stop?" Haley asked. Half curious to why he had. half hoping he would start moving again so she could hold her arms around him. She got that thought out of her head as fast as she could, it was of course his men who had just killed her father and mother.  
  
"You may not have noticed but we were riding very fast and we both have cuts all over us from the ride."  
  
"You have armor on." She replied.  
  
"Well my face is cut some and you are completely covered in blood." he said motioning to her dress.  
  
"That's part the blood of my mother." She replied tears in her eyes.  
  
He was in the middle of taking off some of his armor, he looked even better without it on.  
  
"This isn't." he moved his hand toward just behind her shoulder.  
  
"Oh, I can't even feel it." But just as she said it she began to feel little bits of pain all over her body.  
  
"Let me help you get that bandaged." He ripped a piece of his shirt off and put it on her back. "I'm going to put pressure on it to stop it from bleeding." She nodded. When he did it she fell forward a bit, he tried to make sure she didn't fall, but he fell back wards. She landed on top of him.  
  
they lay there for a few minutes. Neither wanted to move. He made the first move, but it wasn't for him to try and stand up. He put his lips up against hers and kissed her.  
  
Chapter 7 -  
  
Immediately Nathan put his arms around her back.  
  
She got scared and pulled away. "Oh my gosh we can't do this." He was still holding onto her. "Let go of me. Nathan let go!" She screamed he let go.  
  
"Well well well." It was Gregory. "It now entirely makes sense about why she is still alive, you weren't thinking with your head now were you?"  
  
Nathan stood up he looked completely embarassed at the situation.  
  
They rode as a group back to the castle in France. Nathan's mother and father came out to greet them.  
  
"Who is she?" his father asked.  
  
"She is-" Nathan began.  
  
"Let her speak Nathan." Dan said.  
  
"Sorry father." Nathan said quietly, he became a weak little boy around his father.  
  
"I am Haley James, the daughter of king and queen William and Abigale James of England." Haley replied.  
  
"How did you end up here girl? Nathan now you can explain this."  
  
"Gregory and his men killed Haley's family in front of her I stopped him from killing her too." Nathan replied.  
  
"Why would you do that?"  
  
"She is only fifteen father. War or no war that is wrong." Nathan said, he seemed to be more confident.  
  
"Do not speak to me like that. Gregory, take her to the dungeons, we will hold her until her stupid brother surrenders himslef." Dan said coldly.  
  
"Don't you speak of him like that, Lucas is twice the man you are don't you ever say anything like that again." Haley began rambling on.  
  
Gregory took her down to the dungeon area. He took her past cells that were full of men and he seemed to be considering putting her in with these men but he eventually walked past them to empty cells. "You will stay here." he said as he pushed her inside.  
  
"I will not, this is terrible let me go I haven't done anything wrong." Haley screamed.  
  
"You know, you are a very beautiful girl when you are angry. Not that you are ugly when you aren't angry." He moved his hand along her arm.  
  
"Get your hands off of me." Haley exclaimed jumping back.  
  
"Silly girl, you do not have to athority to tell me what to do. I will do with you whatever I want." He yelled at her.  
  
Haley screamed as he lunged forward toward her. "Help me, Help me!"  
  
She ran out of the cell past the cells full of men. gregory eventually got up and began to follow her.  
  
Him being a faster runner and taller peson caught up o her son after she had gotten out of the dungeo level of the castle. She ran straight into a group of guards who stopped her.  
  
"I will take her from here." Gregory said as he grabbed her arm.  
  
He didn't take her back to the dungeon level. He took her to an empty room on the first floor. Covering her mouth he began to unhook her dress. She tried to scream but his hand was covering her mouth. Her first reaction was to bite his hand. he yelled this time Haley hoped it would attract people outside. He moved his hand from her mouth she screamed like mad.  
  
Soon after Nathan and his father entered the room.  
  
Nathan lunged right up to Gregory and began to beat on him. Haley jumped backwards and curled up into the corner.  
  
Deb Nathan's mom came to her rescue. "Are you alright child?" She asked trying to sooth her. Deb hated to see the young girl suffer because of who she was.  
  
"See father, do you see what your men do to people. They are terrible and gregory your most trusted knight, oh isn't he a wonderful man right?"  
  
"Gaurds, take Gregory to the dungeons, this is a terrible crime." Dan quickly said, he even knew this was wrong.  
  
"Daniel please let Nathan give the girl a room of her own, she is just a child, she should not be by herself in a dungeon with a group of men."  
  
"Nathan, go set a room for your friend. Deb darling could you help her get new clothes on, these are now all ruined." He didn't like the idea because she was british bt she was only fifteen.  
  
Haley walked off with Deb and Nathan went off the other way.  
  
After a half an hour haley felt OK again. everything seemed to be ok. She still was sad about the situation that had happened that morning, but she was doing OK she felt safe.  
  
She walked toward the throne room and she overheard a conversation. "Dan you can't possibly think that leaving her in the dungeons was a good idea."  
  
"Well Deb I jsut don't think it is right since we are at war."  
  
"I would agree if she wasn't fifteen." Deb replied. "if she plays any tricks we will definetly punish her but we have no reason to not trust her."  
  
"Alright."  
  
"Hello!" it was Nathan he had snuck up on her.  
  
"Oh my gosh you scared me so much." She said after she recovered from the joke.  
  
"Well do you want you to show me the room?"  
  
"I'm confused." Haley replied.  
  
"Do you want me to show you the room?" he corrected himself.  
  
"Oh yes, that is fine." She laughed.  
  
He took her up to a central tower. it was beautiful it reminded her of her castle. But she put that out of her mind.  
  
"This is your room." Nathan said as he opened the door to reveal a beautiful rivaling with the beauty of her room at home. "Will it do?"  
  
"Will it do, it is beautiful." She replied.  
  
"Good, do you want me to call you for dinner?"  
  
"No Nathan I think that I will stay here for teh evening and think about stuff, get my thoughts back together."  
  
"I understand. Call me if you need anything my room is right across the hall."  
  
"I will." She replied and he left the room.  
  
It took her hours to get everything in order in her mind. After nightfall she cried herself to sleep thinking of her father and mother it wasn't fair, why had things worked out like this.  
  
Nathan came up to Haley's room later that night. He knocked quietly, no answer. He peaked his head inside. He saw her asleep on top of her covers. he entered the room and covered her up with a blanket that had been aitting on the chair near her bed.  
  
He gave her a kiss on her forehead after moving her hair out of her face. It wasn't a romantic kiss, the way a friend kises their friend, he went to sleep afterward.  
  
The next morning Nathan woke Haley up before it was even light out.  
  
"get up." he whispered. "I have to show you something."  
  
"Alright." she replied, she had slept in her clothes so she didn't need to change.  
  
he led her out of the castle he took her out back to the gardens.  
  
"Look over the hill." he pointed toward the sunrise that had jsut peaked over the hill.  
  
"It's beautiful." Haley gasped. "I used to look at the sunrise every morning, but now looking out of my window just shows the war torn kingdom."  
  
"Yeah I know how you feel, this is one of the only spots where you don't see the battles."  
  
"Well I like it." Haley replied with a smile  
  
Haley and Nathan became instant friends after that. They both ignored the attraction they had for each other. The main reason for that was that they had the age gap. She was onyl fifteen and he was 19 it seemed to big of a gap. But the friendship they had for those days were amazing. They became the best friends neither had ever had.  
  
They also began to relive the childhood both had never had. Haley had grown up living with the trials of her sisters and she never had a real childhood. Nathan never had the childhod he wanted because his father had always pressured him to be the best prince he could be, and that ended his childhood before it began.  
  
"it isn't right Deb." Dan said one day. "He is too old to be playing like a child."  
  
"He didn't get to have much of a childhood Dan, let him have it now, besides they have become such great friends."  
  
"I know, it will hurt him when it all ends."  
  
"What do you mean?" Deb asked.  
  
"I will have to have her killed, her brother refuses to believe we have her, he thinks we have a plot to lure his armies to back off so we can win. So now we will have to kill the girl." He left the room.  
  
One day, a few days after Deb and Dan's conversation Deb came out to Haley and Nathan who were out by the river playing around.  
  
"Haley." She called as she got closer. "I need to speak to you, come here."  
  
Haley obeyed and went to Deb. "What is it?"  
  
"You have a guest."  
  
Haley was surprised, but her and Nathan followed Deb into the castle.  
  
"Haley!" called the farmiliar voice of Lucas. "Are you alright?"  
  
"I am fine, the Scott's have been great." Haley replied happy to see him. "What brought you here?"  
  
"I got a letter from Debra here saying that they really had you and that she wanted me to come get you because she was worried her husband was going to have you killed because I was not backing down."  
  
"Why did you not back down?" Haley asked.  
  
"I didn't know you really were here, I thought it was a plot." Lucas replied asshamed. "Thank you Debra but we must go."  
  
Haley turned to Nathan. "Good-bye." She said plainly.  
  
"Haley please don't go. I will be sent back to war if you do."  
  
"I can't die Nathan, I will if I stay." Haley replied.  
  
"You're right, I am being selfish. I will see you again anyway." he said happily. "After the war."  
  
"Yes. Now thank you both for everything."  
  
Haley walked towards the door with Lucas. when she reached it she ran back and jumped on Nathan and gave him a huge hug. "You have been so good to me. I will see you soon."  
  
They quickly left the castle and Met up with a group of British soldiers outside of the castle's gaze.  
  
They were a little upset that Lcuas willingly went onto enemy territory and was nice to the royals of France, but they put that asside because they were glad their princess was safe. The entire country loved Haley, she was really the Daughter of the country. Sure they had loved her fsther and they mourned him and her mom now, and the people liked her sisters and Lucas, but Haley was differnt, she was a beautiful girl who was completely dedicated toher country, but most of all she was nice to all.  
  
They walked back to the castle over a slow and long journey.  
  
When she arrived home Haley really didn't feel like she was home, she missed France, and she missed a certain dark haired French prince. She would not let the thoughts of him being killed in battle overcome her thoughts of the times they had. But it was beginning to dawn on her that he really may die.  
  
Chapter 8 -  
  
Lucas went up to Haley's room, where she had barricaded herself for the last few hours. "How are you?"  
  
"How do you think I am Lucas, I watched Father fall dead and I watched a man cut Mothers head off, the blood is still on the dress I was wearing. I just want it to all go away."  
  
"Haley you will never forget that, but you are being so strong and I am glad you are, you went through a terrible ordeal and those people they were, they were-"  
  
"Some of the nicest people in the world, Nathan and Deb were-"  
  
"I don't want to hear about the guy you like, I am ashamed by you Haley, you just watched our parents die and now it's OK for you to be going and finding suitors, I thought you were better than your sisters."  
  
"Get out of my room." Haley yelled. "You don't know what you are talking about, they took care of me like I was their daughter and Nathan was like a big brother that I needed."  
  
"What am I?"  
  
"You weren't there Lucas, if you had I would have been home in an instant, he was a friend, and we got along great, but we never acted romantic toward each other, he is a year older than you."  
  
"So he just wanted to be around a younger girl."  
  
"Lucas, Nathan and I spent our days playing by the river like we were kids, we were friends, nothing more."  
  
"Alright sweetie, I'm going to go downstairs, I just came up to say goodbye before I go back to the base, Until I come home, you are the leader of the country."  
  
"Goodbye Lucas." Haley said.  
  
He left and Haley began to cry, she hated him for telling her those things, he just didn't understand.  
  
It had been almost a week since she had come home, she was almost back on her regular schedule, but she had never felt so lonely. SHe had to run a country and it was hard, she didn't know much about what to do, but she was doing OK.  
  
On that day the soldiers who had guarded the castle drug in a prisoner.  
  
"Guards, you know I told you that there was not to be any prisoners taken here, take them to Lucas and he can deal with it."  
  
"Alright your highness." They chimed.  
  
"Don't call me that I am not the queen. Do not call me that."  
  
"Sorry Princess."  
  
"Thank you."  
  
"Haley, wait." called the prisoner. The guard kicked him in the stomach.  
  
"You are not to speak to the princess at all. You do not have the right." He continued to kick him.  
  
"Stop!" Haley screamed. She ran up to the prisoner who still had his head hung. "Nathan." She whispered. He was in terrible condition. "What happened to him?" She asked the guards.  
  
"We found him injured out there, but we had to restrain him when he tried to run away."  
  
"Take him up to my bedroom. Lay him on the bed." Haley commanded.  
  
"Why your room would you like me to take him to another bedroom?" He asked suspiciously.  
  
"I refuse to go in the other wing of the castle because of Mother and Father's room is there, and my room is the only one not over there." Haley replied. "Now take him upstairs, and remove him armor."  
  
They obeyed.  
  
Haley went to a storage room and grabbed spare cloth to bandage him and then she went to the laundry room and grabbed spare clothes of Lucas' for him.  
  
She went up to her room. He was sprawled out on the bed blood had stained his shirt all over.  
  
"Why are we helping him?" A guard asked.  
  
"He is the one who saved my life two weeks ago. And he is my friend and I will not let him die here." Haley replied as she began to help him.  
  
She told the guards to leave the room she hated how they were looming over her at all times.  
  
She took off his stained shirt. He just stayed silent, but he was still OK and moving. She saw that one cut had an arrow stuck in it. "Nathan you have an arrow stuck in this cut. I'm going to need to take it out or it will get worse."  
  
"Alright." He replied. He clenched his teeth and she got a hold on the arrow and pulled it out. He yelled in pain.  
  
"Are you OK?" She asked. She hated to see him in pain.  
  
"Yes it feels better now that the piece is out." He replied.  
  
"OK good." She sighed. She got him cleaned up and bandaged up she gave him new clothes to put on and he was alright again.  
  
After a few hours of sleeping he came downstairs to the dining room where Haley was. She had food set out for him.  
  
"I had the cook prepare you food." Haley pointed to the buffet of food.  
  
"Thank you for everything Haley." He said.  
  
"Yes, but it wasn't a problem don't worry, you were just as nice to me."  
  
He nodded then ate his food.  
  
"How are you feeling?" Haley asked because he seemed uncomfortable where he was sitting.  
  
"No I'm fine," he lied  
  
"Are you sure, you don't look comfortable, is it the chair, or did I miss a cut?"  
  
"It is probably the chair." He lied.  
  
"Alright." Haley replied, she went and got another pillow for the chair. "This will work better?"  
  
He stood up and Haley immediately knew it wasn't the chair, he had blood stained down his leg. "You liar." She said.  
  
"Sorry?" He asked.  
  
"Come on, I need to lay you down again, you still have a cut on you." She took him back up to her room. "Did you know?"  
  
"Yes, but it seemed to awkward to say anything."  
  
"Why?" Haley asked.  
  
"Because of the location of the cut." He replied. "It is right here." He pointed to right on his upper thigh.  
  
"Oh, well it's much worse that we have an awkward situation over you bleeding to death, in my room." She said as a joke.  
  
"Right." He replied.  
  
"Lay down." He did. she ripped his pants, she figured it wold be a little less awkward this way. "Oh, there is something stuck in it." He clenched his teeth again because he knew she was about to rip it out of his skin. She did and this one hurt more than any of the others. "Are you alright?" She asked.  
  
"Yes I think it feels better now."  
  
"OK, but it is bleeding harder than the others." She said a little worried. "I still need to bandage it."  
  
She tightly bandaged his leg and he was OK again. "It wasn't that bad was it?" He agreed. "Are we all good now or do you have any more surprise cuts I need to tend to?"  
  
"Does it look like it?" He asked sarcastically.  
  
"Well not that I can see." She joked.  
  
He sat up and revealed that he had gotten an erection. Haley looked the other way.  
  
"Sorry." He replied realizing it.  
  
"Yes that's alright." She replied.  
  
They both walked down the stairs to finish dinner today for the first time both of them realized that they felt differently for each other than they ever had before for anyone.  
  
After dinner they were both very tired and decided they needed rest.  
  
"Haley," Nathan turned to her.  
  
"Yes?" She asked.  
  
"Where are you planning on sleeping, the room you put me in is your room. I overheard you with the guard saying you won't go near the other rooms."  
  
"I don't know, but I will find a place."  
  
"Well if you aren't uncomfortable you can sleep in the same room, it will be fine right, we are friends are we not?"  
  
"We are. Are you sure?"  
  
"Yes, it is no problem, you have a huge bed."  
  
"Alright."  
  
They headed upstairs and got into bed together. Before they fell asleep Nathan pulled Haley into his arms. "Don't worry, I won't try anything."  
  
"I never thought that you would."  
  
She nor he had ever slept better than they did that night.  
  
Chapter 9 -  
  
"Good morning." Nathan said when dawn peaked through the morning.  
  
"Good morning." Haley replied. She rolled herself over, still in his arms.  
  
"Did you sleep well?" He asked.  
  
"The best." She replied with a smile. He kissed her forehead.  
  
"I wanted to thank you for everything last night." He said with a smile.  
  
"Don't, you would have done the same for me."  
  
"Ahem." Lucas said, he was standing in the corner of the room. "Haley, don't I love how you act when you don't have romantic feelings for a person."  
  
"Lucas, when did you get home?"  
  
"Long enough to find out home much of a whore my little sister is."  
  
"Don't you speak about her like that, you don't know her well enough if you think she is a whore." Nathan yelled.  
  
"You better lower your voice, I am the king of this country and you are one of the people we are at war with." Lucas said sternly.  
  
Haley slapped him across the face, no one said a thing for a few seconds Lucas got angry and he did the same back to her, only her was much stronger than her and he caused his sister to fly into the wall behind the bed.  
  
Nathan quickly turned over to make sure she was alright. "Haley, are you OK talk to me sweetie."  
  
"You have no right to call her that."  
  
"And you have no right to hit her, she is not only your younger sister, but she is still a women, and men should never lay thier hands on a women in any way."  
  
"You should take your own words into heart."  
  
"Lucas he never touched me, he did nothing wrong," Haley screamed.  
  
"You get out of my castle." Lucas said to Nathan. "If you don't leave now I will have you killed, and don't think I won't"  
  
Nathan paused he looked to Haley. "Go Nathan, it isn't worth getting killed over."  
  
"I'll see you again." He said as he got out of the room.  
  
Lucas stood there. "Get out Lucas, right now." Haley commanded, and he listened.  
  
Lucas went to his throne room and sat down, he could not believe what he had done, he had neevr seen her so happy and so upset within minutes of each other.  
  
"Lucas." Haley said appearing in the doorway.  
  
"Yes?" He asked hopefully.  
  
"We maybe should talk." She said.  
  
"Yes, that seems right, first I am sorry, I never meant to get that angry, and second, I am asshamed of you, what were you doing in the same bed as him?"  
  
"Lucas you know I will not pass by Mother and Father's room anymore, I just can't and there are no other rooms in this entire house that aren't past that room. I had to, besides nothing happened, you should trust me."  
  
"I do, but you can't deny that the situation was definitely strange."  
  
"Yes, but you should have heard us out, now Nathan could be out there near dead on a road somewhere, he was very very injured when he came here, your men had shot him down."  
  
"I heard, that's why I came home, because I knew he was here, but Haley, I do need to leave today."  
  
"I don't mind Lucas go back, that is where you belong right now, fighting for your country."  
  
"Bye." Lucas gave her a hug then him and his men left Haley standing at the doorway to the castle.  
  
She had madde her decision though, she wasn't going to sit around and let all them men in her life just go. She wanted to go find Nathan.  
  
"Bradley, Bradley!" She called when the man appeared she gave him some information. "You are in charge, I have to leave the castle, I will be home soon, don't worry, jsut hold up the country for a little while, Lucas will write if things get bad." He was confused, but he nodded and Haley set off.  
  
"Nathan!" Called A friend of his Timothy. "Où avez-vous été? (Where have you been?) "  
  
", Mais je nullepart suis à la maison maintenant, donc ce qu'a j'ai manqué? (Nowhere, but I am home now, so what have I missed?)"  
  
He shook his head and laughed, but it was ended by Nathan's father exiting his tent.  
  
"Nathan, bon vous êtes arrière, j'ai une personne je veux que vous ait rencontré. (Nathan, good you are back, I have a person I want you to meet.)"  
  
Nathan nodded. "Oui père (Yes father), " He entered his father's tent to find a man and a young women in there, Nathan had no idea why they were here during a war.  
  
"Nathan, they don't speak french, but english is fine, They and you both have a great english vocabulary."  
  
"Alright, but who are they father?" Nathan asked.  
  
"The Russian king and his daughter, you and her are to be wed, we made this decision this morning, her father and i think it is right." Dan replied.  
  
"And what does my mother think?" Nathan asked.  
  
"She is not a part of this, I am king and I choose."  
  
Nathan nodded,  
  
"We will leave you and my daughter along to get to know each other." The Russian king said.  
  
"Hello." The girl said. "My name is Theresa, I was not agreeing with the idea originally, but my father and your father are smart men."  
  
"They are, yes they are." Nathan replied.  
  
"Why are you unhappy?" She asked. "Is there someone else?"  
  
"Well there was one girl, but my father never approved and she was probably way to young anyway." Nathan tried to convince himself more than her.  
  
"Who are you?" Theresa asked, looking at the door of the tent. There stood a soldier who hadn't said a thing.  
  
"Who are you?" The soldier asked.  
  
"I am Nathan's fiancé." Theresa replied.  
  
"Who are you?" Nathan asked this time. "I am the future king of France and I command you to remove your helmet."  
  
"I am just the girl who was too young, and stupid enough to think I could be your queen." Haley removed the helmet and stormed out of the tent.  
  
Nathan followed right away. "When did you get here?" he asked.  
  
"Just now, I guess it wasn't good timing for you. Was I just a thrill? The girl you decided you wanted to have some fun with for a little while before your wedding?"  
  
"Haley it isn't like that-"  
  
"I don't want to hear it." Haley yelled. She began take off the uncomfortable armor she was wearing. When she succeeded she began to run off.  
  
Nathan tried to follow her but she had run right into a crowd of soldiers.  
  
"Bonjour la petite dame (hello little lady.)" A bunch of men began saying to her, one put his hand on her shoulder. She jumped  
  
"Let go of me." She screamed, but it was probably the biggest mistake she ever made. her English voice stood out and the men got even more riled up.  
  
After a few minutes of taking harsh words from every single one of them one man spoke up. "Ceci est la fille pas juste britannique, ceci est la plus jeune princesse. (Hey, this isn't just any British girl, this is the youngest princess.)  
  
Haley had no idea what it meant but she knew it couldn't be good because the men got even more strange. They began to come up to her and make her unbelievably uncomfortable, and touch her.  
  
She didn't know what to do so she sunk down to the ground and began to cry. As soon asshe had she felt everyone backing off. Soon she heard Nathan, she had never felt happier to hear a person that she hated ever.  
  
"Tout le monde soutient de sort d'ici (Everyone back off get out of here)" Nathan yelled.  
  
"Elle est anglaise (She is english.) " They yelled.  
  
"Et je suis le prince le maintenant congé (And I am the prince now leave)" And they all obeyed.  
  
Nathan helped haley stand up and they walked a little ways but after a few steps she collapsed. He caught her in his arms and held her like a child legs over one arm and her head resting on his other shoulder and he carried her away to safety.  
  
Chapter 10 -  
  
Haley woke up the next morning unsure where she was, but when she rolled over she found Nathan asleep in a chair, that's when all of the things came back to her, and all that had happened made her cry again.  
  
"You're Awake." Nathan said as he suddenly woke up.  
  
"Yes. But don't think that just because you saved me, again, that I will just forgive you for everything. How could you not tell me you are engaged?"  
  
My father did that, he didn't want me falling for you because you were, well British, and he doesn't like the British."  
  
"Nathan, I heard you saying that I was too young yesterday. Don't try to deny it I know you said-"  
  
"I was trying to convince myself that I shouldn't be with you." Nathan replied.  
  
"Oh." Haley replied. "and?"  
  
"It never worked." Nathan replied.  
  
"I see." Haley replied.  
  
"Haley I am serious I love you, I don't care about any of it, your age or what my fathr thinks, I love you."  
  
"I think I love you too."  
  
Nathan helped Haley up, even though she knew she was fine to do it herself. Afterward he went to go get her something to eat.  
  
"Nathan, ce que va sur Theresa part ce matin, est cette autre fille ici aujourd'hui si elle est Nathan je ferai-(Nathan, what is going on Theresa left this morning, is that other girl here today if she is Nathan I will-)" Dan yelled to Nathan as he ran into him a few minutes later.  
  
"Vous ferez quel père? Que?(You will what father? What?)" Nathan yelled to his father.  
  
"Alors elle est ici, j'ordonne que nous prenons son comme un prisonnier (Then she is here, I command that we take her as a prisoner)"  
  
"Si vous prenez son comme un prisonnier je rendrai tous les soldats j'ai le pouvoir par-dessus (If you take her as a prisoner I will surrender all the soldiers I have power over)" Nathan replied. he walked of and his father had nothign to say.  
  
Nathan came back to the room Haley was in, he gave her a snack and sat down.  
  
They sat in silence for a little while, neither said a thing and they were completely content with it.  
  
Haley stayed there the entire day and she watched Nathan work, she really loved to just see him, she didn't even need to talk to him.  
  
At the end of the day Nathan settled Haley into her own tent, but he made sure he was nearby because he knew that the men in the camp were definitely not alright with the British princess being there.  
  
A few hours after he had made sure Haley was comfortable with her sleeping arangments Nathan returned to her room. Haley noticed that he looked upset when she woke up.  
  
"What's wrong?" She asked.  
  
"I had a fight with my father, he told me either I let him take you prisoner or you leave and I Don't want to lose you, so I've decided that I want you to leave."  
  
"What?" Haley asked.  
  
"But I want to go with you marry me" Nathan finished, she smiled.  
  
He took Haley out to the horses and they took his horse and rode away, no one even knew they had left until morning.  
  
Haley fell asleep leaning on Nathan's shoulder, he never felt more comfortable.  
  
She woke up when dawn came, sometime during her sleep he had moved her, probably because she was going to fall off the horse.  
  
"Hey, I had to move you when you almost fell off the horse." Nathan replied looking down at her in his lap.  
  
"That's fine, but I bet that I am very uncomfortable for you." She replied.  
  
"No this is fine." She sat up.  
  
"Wow, I love sunsets, remember the first one we saw?"  
  
"Yeah, that one was really nice." Nathan replied. "But of course you were much better."  
  
She smiled. After another hour of riding in silence Haley asked Nathan, "So where are we going?"  
  
"I really don't know, just as far away from my father, and probably your brother as we can get."  
  
"Yeah, probably, but someday we will need to go back."  
  
"Yeah, but when we do we should have some sort of plan that they won't be able to ruin." Nathan said.  
  
"Yeah, but wat?" Haley asked.  
  
"We should get married in a country nearby, where the preist won't disagree."  
  
"Nathan, I am not Roman Catholic I am Protestant." Haley replied.  
  
"Then we will get married in the Protestant church, I do not care, just as long as we do get married." Nathan replied with a smile.  
  
"No, because you will end up the King of France and you grew up as a Catholic, and if I am to be your queen someday, I will follow your religion." Haley replied.  
  
He didn't know what to say, she was so sweet and she had lost so much for him or because of him. "I don't want you to lose anything else Haley, you have lost so much because of my soldiers and me, I won't let you lose this too."  
  
"I guess you probably are right, besides we are heading towards Scotland and they primarily are protestant, but Nathan, I don't want you to ever think that even though I have lost so much in the time that I have known you that I blame you in any way, or that I don't want to be with you."  
  
"I know, but it just doesn't seem fair." Nathan replied.  
  
"But now I have you and that makes it perfect." Haley replied.  
  
They rode by horseback all the way to Scotland and finally were gone from the life they had left behind in the war.  
  
" 'Ello there you two, how are we doing today?" Asked a man in a small town just past the border.  
  
"Hello sir, My Name is haley, and this is Nathan, where is the nearest church?" Haley asked politely.  
  
"Well there young lady, I am Thomas O'Malley, take a left down there and you'll find the Protestant church."  
  
"Thank you sir." Nathan replied.  
  
The man's smile disappeared. "Wait you two, you're British and you are French? Are you coming here to flee your country because we don't want any trouble in these here parts."  
  
"No, we are not here to cause problems, we just want to get married." Haley replied.  
  
"Wait, you both look very farmiliar to me, what did you say your names are?"  
  
"Haley James and Nathan Scott." Nathan replied worried.  
  
"The prince of France and Princess of England, we don't want you people spreading your war over to these here parts. I would suggest you leave."  
  
"Thomas, no one even knows we have left, and they definetely don't know we are here, your country is still safe from the war, I assure you." Haley said.  
  
"Well I guess I can't not listen to a sweet young thing like yourself, the church is just up the road." Thomas said as he lifted his hat off his head and watched them ride off. "I can see trouble coming from those two." He said quietly to himself.  
  
Chapter 11 -  
  
"So you two want to be married?" The reverend asked. "are you both Protestant?"  
  
"I am, but he is Catholic, but before you say no we need to get married." Haley replied.  
  
"You need to get married?" He asked. "Is there a reason why you need to be married?"  
  
"I, well, our," she sighed "I am the princess of England and he is the Prince of France, we fell in love and now the only way we can end the war tearing apart our country is to get married."  
  
"I am not sure I should preform the ceremony." He said.  
  
"Please, we will not be able to marry anywhere else, and we love each other, Reverend please?" Haley asked.  
  
"Alright. I can preform the ceremony anytime, I just need you two to find witnesses." He replied.  
  
"Thank you thank you." Nathan said. "We can go do that now."  
  
Haley and Nathan went out to find witnesses for their wedding, but as soon as most people found out who they were they disagreed.  
  
"O well hello Haley and Nathan." Thomas said as he ran into them on the street.  
  
"Thomas, would you please do a favor for us?" Haley asked.  
  
"Sure little lady, what?" He asked.  
  
"Witness our wedding?"  
  
"Well sure, I can do that."  
  
While Nathan and Haley were happy as ever back in England, the war raged on.  
  
A meeting between Lucas and Dan was set up, both men could have soldiers there as a security system.  
  
They met together early one morning.  
  
"I want you and your sister to return my son home." Dan said.  
  
"What? I do not have your son, you have my sister." Lucas replied.  
  
"I do not, my son is gone, and you are to blame, you and your sister." Dan said. "Now I command you release my son or I will have my men shoot you."  
  
"I do not have your son, and if your men make any move to shoot me, you will be shot within seconds." He replied.  
  
Dan raised his arm, Lucas did also. Then a the same time they ordered it. "Fire!" Lucas yelled "Feu!" Dan yelled. the soldiers fired.  
  
"Do you Nathan Scott take Haley James as your lawful wedded wife, to have and to hold, for richer or poorer in sickness and in health, and promise to honor her as long as you both shall live?"  
  
Nathan looked Haley in the eyes and smiled. "I do."  
  
"And do you Haley James take Nathan Scott as your lawful wedded husband, to have and to hold, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, and promise to honor him as long as you both shall live?"  
  
"I do." Haley replied.  
  
After the ceremony was finished Nathan and Haley waited for him to say the words they had wanted to hear for weeks now. "By the power invested in me I now pronounce you husband and wife, you may kiss your bride."  
  
Nathan kissed Haley as if he was never going to see her again.  
  
After the wedding they looked for lodging in the two at an inn.  
  
As Nathan and Haley lay in bed together, before they both fell asleep Haley turned over and whispered in Nathan's ear. "I love you more than anything else Nathan Scott."  
  
"I love you too Haley Scott."  
  
Then the two fell asleep.  
  
Nathan and Haley woke up the next morning and neither wanted to leave.  
  
"I don't want to go back to that world back home."  
  
"I don't either, but you know we have to Nathan." Haley replied to her new husband.  
  
"Are you sure? I bet we could just be happy as a Scottish couple."  
  
"Nathan you know that sometime soon our families will find out we are here and we cannot drag another country into this war, besides, I believe that our countries will find an agreement now that we are married."  
  
"I hope you are right." He kissed her on the forehead then both of them got up and began the trip home.  
  
They rode for hours on end.  
  
"Are you tired?" Nathan asked as it became evening again  
  
"A little but I can stay awake." Haley replied.  
  
"If you want to, you may sleep in my lap again, I know you slept comfortable there the other night." Nathan offered.  
  
"I don't want to, because you have had to stay awake all the time because you were riding, I don't think it is fair that I get to be happy and comfortable sleeping while you sit on the horse awake all night. I will stay awake." Haley said, even though she was very tired, and was finding it hard to keep her eyes open.  
  
"Well you missed a very important piece of information." Nathan said with a smile. He turned his head around so he could look Haley in her beautiful eyes that he could stare at all day long.  
  
"And what is that Nathan Scott?" SHe asked.  
  
"The fact that watching you be happy makes me happy, so if you sleep in my lap again and you are comfortable and happy, then I will be completely happy, and that will keep me going all night." Nathan replied.  
  
"Are you sure, because-"  
  
"Shh, I am sure."  
  
"Really?" She asked.  
  
"Really." He replied.  
  
Nathan stopped the horse and jumped down to help Haley get down, when she got down he lifted her up into a sidesaddle position and he jumped back up himself, he let her lay in his lap and she fell asleep within a few minutes, and just as he said, he was happy just to watch her sleep.  
  
Chapter 12  
  
"Hey." Haley said as she woke up. Nathan said nothing. "Whats going on?" She asked confused.  
  
She sat herself up and realized that there were a huge group of armed soldiers standing around them, then she realized they were British. "Put you rweapons down." Haley said angrily. They all did when they realized who she was.  
  
"Miss James-"  
  
"Mrs. Scott." Haley corrected him.  
  
He stood there silently not knowing how to react. "It's your brother." He finally said.  
  
"What happened?" Haley asked.  
  
"He was in a fierce battle, the king and his father," He nodded toward Nathan "they had a meeting to try and sort out where he took you-"  
  
"I went by choice, he never asked me to do anything." Haley replied.  
  
"Alright, well they both began to outright have the soldiers fire. Lucas is in bad condition." He finished.  
  
"Is he alive?" Haley asked.  
  
"Yes, our men won the battle." The soldier replied.  
  
"What do you mean Lucas won, he is very hurt."  
  
"Well your husband's father is dead."  
  
Haley looked at Nathan, he was near tears, he wasn't the strong and always there for you man se had know him as. "Nathan." She said quietly.  
  
"Go see your brother, he is dying."  
  
"But I don't want to leave you." She said.  
  
"I know, but I need to go be there for my mom." Nathan replied. "And you need to be there for your brother."  
  
"Nathan I can't lose another person I love, if I leave you now I won't be with you, but if I don't go to Lucas I might lose him, I don't know what to do, I can't watch another person in my family die."  
  
"He will be OK, just go to him." Nathan gave her a kiss on the forehead and lifted her down.  
  
"If you or any of your soldiers touch him as he rides away I will have you all killed." Haley said. "Don't think I won't."  
  
She waved to Nathan as they rode away in opposite directions.  
  
"Haley!" called her sister Brooke from the castle. Haley jumped off of the slowly moving horse.  
  
"Brooke." Haley said in tears.  
  
"He's going to be OK, how are you, where have you been did the damn French finally let you go."  
  
"Don't say that, they never had me I was with Nathan." Haley replied. "Let's go see Lucas."  
  
"Nathan!" Called Deb from the base. "Etes-vous bien? Etiez-vous tenu? (Are you alright? Were you being held?)"  
  
"Maman je suis désolé, je n'ai jamais signifié pour le père pour obtenir la blessure petite propre tuée, je viens de vouloir être avec Haley, je l'aime, et elle m'aime, nous partons par le choix, personne tenu ou de nous. Nous avons obtenu épousé." (Mom I'm sorry, I never meant for father to get hurt little own killed, I just wanted to be with Haley, I love her, and she loves me, we left by choice, no one held either of us. We got married.)"  
  
"Nathan, ne vous pouvez pas juste la course d'aimé cela, vous devez penser de vos décisions de temps en temps, vous pouvez ne va pas obtient juste épousé (Nathan, you can't just run off like that, you have to think about your decisions once in a while, you can't just go get married.)"  
  
""Si vous êtes juste allant continuer à me dire que j'ai fait mal je rentre à Haley Je suis venu ici avoir de la peine avec vous, mais je rentrerai, elle est ma femme et je suis loyal à elle. (If you are just going to continue to tell me what I have done wrong I am going back to Haley I came here to grieve with you, but I will go back, she is my wife and I am loyal to her.)"  
  
"Bien, je veux que vous soit resté, je suis juste heureux que vous êtes bien. (Alright, I want you to stay, I am just happy you are OK.)"  
  
The two went inside and grived for Dan.  
  
"Hello Haley." Lucas choked out.  
  
"Hello." She said, she had never seen him like this, he was her big brother, the one she grew up with, she couldn't lose him, she loved her brother, and if she lost him, who would run the country.  
  
"Haley," He whispered. "I need you to promsie me something."  
  
"Anything."  
  
"If I don't make it, I need you to be the sole ruler of the country, nobody else can do it." He said. "I know you can handle it."  
  
"Maybe I could have, but I can't run the country." Haley replied.  
  
"Why not, I know you can."  
  
"I can't Lucas." Haley replied, she was crying. "I... I... well... when..." She took a deep breath. "I married Nathan."  
  
"What?" everyone in the room asked.  
  
"Nobody understood, I love him, I love him so much and we chose to get married far away because we knew you would keep us apart. I'm sorry Lucas, but I can't run the country. Nathan's father is gone and I have to be the queen of France."  
  
"Haley how could you?" Peyton asked. "You can't jsut get married with a person you are at war with, besides, you are fifteen."  
  
"Nobody ever includes me in anything, I know what I feel, eer since I was little people have always treated me like I was unaware of my life, and for the first time I wanted to fight back and stand up for what I wanted, what I needed. I would live terribly if I lost anymore of you, you are my family. But if I lost Nathan, I would not live at all."  
  
"She is right you know." Peyton's husband said. "Everytime I have seen you guys with your sister she has always been treated like she is not there and she can't make decisions for herself you treat her like she is a little girl, Peyton, you were fourteen when we fell in love, and by your fifteenth birthday you had been living in Italy with me for months." Paulo Peyton's husband said.  
  
"And Brooke, you were even younger," Antonio began, "You were fourteen when you married me."  
  
"I think your husbands have a point." Lucas said. "She is young, but not too young, I love you Haley and I just don't approve of him."  
  
"I am sorry, but you don't really get to say either way. Except that the only reason you don't approve is that he is French and you are at war with them, I never agreed with the war, Nathan didn't either and I know you didn't. So why don't you an him discuss ending the war. How hard would that be?"  
  
"Is he here?" Lucas asked.  
  
"No he went back to see his mother."  
  
"Then him and I can discuss it later, but now I ask you to leave so I can sleep." He replied.  
  
"Goodnight." everyone said and then they left, Haley didn't feel like being around people so she decided to go p to bed also.  
  
Chapter 13 -  
  
"Haley, wake up." Said a voice late the next morning.  
  
"I'm awake Maria." Haley said.  
  
"I'm not Maria. It's me, Nathan."  
  
"Nathan, when did you get here, it must have been a terribly long night?" Haley asked.  
  
"Well my mother and I came to discuss the war with your brother. Your sisters refused to let us in, they told us to leave, so I had to sneak in to see you." Nathan said.  
  
"Alright." Haley said standing up. "I'll go get mad at them."  
  
"Not without saying hello to your husband first." He leaned in to kiss her.  
  
"Haley!" Called Brooke as she stormed through the door. "Your husband should not be coming by here today, not while Lucas is in this state."  
  
"Brooke, where did you get the idea that you could send Nathan and his Mother away, you are not in charge of this country, while Lucas was away I ruled England, you are the queen of Spain, not England, you have no rule over what I say, now you go downstairs and personally apologize to Deb and let her in. If you don't I will send you away."  
  
"Lucas has more power over you Haley, he will not let you send me away."  
  
"Go get Deb." Haley commanded.  
  
She turned away and headed downstairs.  
  
Haley took Nathan to Lucas' room, Peyton was in there with Paulo.  
  
"Haley, why on earth are you bringing him in here, even in our home." Peyton said.  
  
"This is not your home!" Haley yelled. "You have not lived here in years. Now let me and Nathan speak to Lucas."  
  
"Haley, he is not alright to talk to people." Peyton said.  
  
"I am fine, I just want to speak to our little sister and her new husband." Lucas commanded. Peyton and Paulo left.  
  
"So Nathan, you married my sister." Lucas said.  
  
"Yes. We married in Scotland the other day. I love your sister and I know it was wrong to do it without your permission, but I really do love her. I also want to apologize for my father's actions at the meeting. In the beginning I never meant for him to think I took her." Nathan said politely.  
  
"I think with this new alliance, France and England should immediately stop the war." Lucas said plainly.  
  
"I agree." Nathan said.  
  
They shook on it. Haley hated the fact that it was so easy for the war to jsut end, two people decided it and it was done.  
  
"Alright, so Haley I will need you to go with Nathan to the battlefieds to make it official."  
  
"Yes, that will be the last duty I will preform as a citizen of England." Haley replied.  
  
"Alright, now you two must go and spread the word as fast as you can." Lucas said.  
  
Nathan and Haley did just that, they went around to all of the battlefields and the war officially ended.  
  
The next week Haley said goodbye to her life in Englad and took the title of the Queen of France, her and Nathan were happy for their enitre lives. Their first child was a daughter named Madeline, she was born less than a year after they were married.  
  
They tried for a son and heir to the throne for years, but before they had their first little boy Domonique, they had two other daughters, Marguerite, and Natalie.  
  
The entire family lived happily and healthy for years.  
  
Lucas had a full recovery after the war ended, and he married two years after the war ended.  
  
After twenty five years of marriage Nathan and Haley were completely in love.  
  
On the night on their twenty-fifth anniversity Haley turned to Nathan. "Do you regret a minute of it?"  
  
"Not one." Nathan kissed her and they fell asleep, still as much in love as the day of their wedding. 


	3. Pioneer Era

Chapter 14 -  
  
"Come on Haley, you are taking so long." Nathan yelled up to his date for the church picnic, she was getting ready in her farmhouse. The two of them had known each other for years, but weren't really close, they weren't dating, but they didn't hate each other either  
  
"I'm coming.!" She called to him, she had been working really hard at making herself look better for when he came, but he had come early.  
  
"Well hurry." He called back. "The guys will have already started the game." Nathan and his group of friends were all introduced to the sport of basketball by a kid who had just moved from the city, Jake. At this time it had not been a popular sport, but Jake's family had money and his father had a dirty court made for the kids in the town.  
  
"Alright I'm here," Haley said as she appeared out the door. She came out. She was wearing a cute pink light summer dress. with a bow in her hair.  
  
"You look.... fancy." Nathan said to her.  
  
She didn't know what to make of that statement, did he mean it nicely or that she had overdone it. Haley didn't really care too much, she never really had a crush on Nathan, he was just the first boy to ask her. "Well let's go so you don't miss your game."  
  
"Right." He replied. He went to help her into the buggy, but she was already into her seat. He shrugged it off, she was just another girl anyway, it wasn't like he was after her or anything.  
  
They got to the picnic a few minutes later, Haley's house was not far from the town, Nathan lived a bit farther out that her so he had agreed to pick her up instead of just meeting there.  
  
When they arrived and were out of the buggy Nathan went off to court to play a game with the guys.  
  
"Hello Nathan, what took you so long?" Jake asked.  
  
"Haley held me up, she was getting ready."  
  
"Girls." Lucas, Nathan's brother, shook his head.  
  
"Yep. I agree." Tim Smith, another friend said.  
  
Haley sat down with her friends Peyton and Brooke and Megan at a blanket set out for them. "Hey." She said happily.  
  
"I can't believe you came with Nathan Scott," sigh. They all said at the same time.  
  
"Oh girls, he is just a guy."  
  
"No, he is the guy." Peyton said.  
  
"Well if you weren't so blind you would have seen that his friends are all into you guys, don't hold out for him, he's just a guy." Haley said.  
  
"Well, his friends are sweet." Brooke said happily.  
  
"Yeah, sweet and very handsome," Megan said with a smile, "But nothing like Nathan, oh Haley you are so lucky."  
  
"sure, he comes to my house, yells at me to hurry up and then as soon as we get here he ditches me. Alright, you guys can be flattered."  
  
"Well if you think he is that terrible, then why did you come with him?" They asked.  
  
"Well I don't think he is terrible, he is a nice guy, but you know, he is just another guy. We aren't friends, we don't hate each other, but he is just kinda there. When there is a big group of us he is fun, but otherwise I could take him or leave him." Haley replied.  
  
"Alright." The girls said after thinking about it.  
  
"Nice shot Nathan." Tim said. "We win!" They decided to go take a break.  
  
"Hey girls." They said as they came up to where Haley Peyton Brooke and Megan were.  
  
"Hi." Haley said.  
  
"Do you guys have any juice made for us?" Tim asked. Megan Brooke and Peyton stood up to get them some.  
  
"We do, but you guys can get them yourselves." Haley said as she finally stood up. "Girls, let's go take a swim in the lake."  
  
They looked at each other, the buys looked at them and waited for their juice. Haley started to walk, then she turned around to where the girls were standing. "Girls come on."  
  
The finally followed. Haley looked at he guys gave them a sweet smile then continued walking.  
  
The girls reached the pond.  
  
"I don't want to get my dress wet." Peyton said, looking down at her light blue dress.  
  
"We don't have to, we can just swim with our clothes off." Haley said happily.  
  
"What about the boys, it would be so embarrassing if they came."  
  
"They won't they are probably all mad at us for leaving them to get their own juice." Haley said as she untied the bow in her dress. Everyone pondered for a minute, then took their dresses off.  
  
They all jumped in and began to splash around.  
  
They were having a blast, when all of a sudden. "wohoo!" Yelled the guys as they all jumped in. The guys had thought the girls had gone to a different swimming place and they had done the same thing.  
  
"What are you doing here?" Haley screamed.  
  
"What are you doing here?" Nathan replied.  
  
"Swimming, we were here first, you guys go." Haley yelled. All four of the girls sunk as low as they could into the water.  
  
"No, we can't you go." Nathan replied.  
  
"We can't you go."  
  
"Why can't you?" Lucas asked.  
  
"Because you will look." Megan replied.  
  
"Megan shhhh!" Peyton hissed.  
  
"well we aren't wearing anything either." Jake said.  
  
"JAKE!" Tim yelled.  
  
"Well it's true." he replied.  
  
"We won't look." Brooke said honestly.  
  
"I don't trust you." Nathan said.  
  
"Well good for you, we won't." Haley said a little less honest. (a/n I wanted to kinda make Haley a little less reserved and i balanced it out with the rest of the girls being reserved).  
  
Peyton immediately began to cry.  
  
"Oh good job Scott." Haley yelled. She swam over to her and tried to comfort her.  
  
"Wow Haley, a little too far out of the water were we?" Tim joked.  
  
"Shut up." She replied.  
  
"What is going on here?" Asked a voice from outside of the water.  
  
"Dr. Andrew's." Haley yelled. "they won't let us get out of the water, we were here first and now they came over here without telling us."  
  
He turned over to the guys. "why?" He asked.  
  
"Because we didn't know they were in here without anything on. Now we both don't want to stay in, but they won't get out, they don't trust us." Nathan replied giving Haley a look.  
  
"Boys, turn around." The doctor said. He stepped forward and let he girls get out without anyone watching.  
  
The quickly got dressed and went back to the picnic.  
  
The guys appeared back a few minutes later, they looked as if they had been given a stern talking to after the girls left.  
  
After the picnic Haley and Nathan dreaded the ride home.  
  
"Are you coming with me?" He asked.  
  
"Are you offering?" She asked.  
  
"Well yeah, if you want to, you don't have a long way to go, but it is getting late and your hair is still wet."  
  
"OK." Haley got into the buggy again.  
  
They drove out of the town, just they passed the sign on the other side of the street saying Welcome to Tree Hill. Haley saw her house.  
  
"Thanks." She said as she stepped out of the buggy.  
  
"Yep." He replied. She got right up to her house when he called to her again. "Haley?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Please don't tell your father about what happened at eh pond, he doesn't like me too much."  
  
"Well don't tell your dad, he thinks I am too independent for a girl." She mocked.  
  
"Deal."  
  
"Deal." And Haley stepped inside.  
  
Chapter 15 -  
  
"Mother, father I'm going to school." Haley called as she ran out the front door.  
  
"By Haley." They called to her as she ran off.  
  
"Hello Haley." Nathan said as she almost ran into him.  
  
"Oh, hi," she replied stopping instantly.  
  
"You want some company?"  
  
"Sure, why not." Haley replied.  
  
They walked to the school together, they had just been there the day before for church, but they still hurried to meet their friends. When they got there Haley went to go meet her friends and Nathan went to go meet his group of guys.  
  
"See Haley, I told you you like him." Brooke laughed.  
  
"I do not, be quiet." Haley replied, completely honest.  
  
"Sure." Megan said.  
  
Just before Haley was about to argue the teacher Miss. Olsen rang the bell.  
  
"Come on in children." She called.  
  
Everyone ran toward the school. When they got inside they all dropped off their bonnets and hats.  
  
"So did everyone have a nice day at the picnic yesterday?" Miss Olsen asked.  
  
Haley glanced over at Nathan, he had done the same, but instantly they both looked the other way.  
  
"Yes." The rest of the class called.  
  
After she ahd the class settled Miss Olsen had the younger kids do addition problems on their slates, and teh older kids did harder math problems in their notebook.  
  
Nathan passed a note to Lucas and they both began to snicker. Lucas poked Jake and pointed towards the girls sitting in front for Nathan and Tim, Megan and Brooke.  
  
Haley didn't see right away what had happened, but when she took a second look she saw what they had done. Brooke's hair had been dipped in black ink and Nathan's fingers had black ink on it.  
  
Haley stood up and walked over to them. She walked over to the otehr side of the classroom near the wall tapped Nathan on the shoulder and then when he looked toward her she punched him square in the face.  
  
She grabbed Brooke's wrist lightly and took her out to the back where the water pump was.  
  
Brooke was confused.  
  
"OK, sorry Brooke, but Nathan put your hair in ink." Haley said.  
  
"What?" Brooke asked very upset. She began to cry.  
  
"Hey, no it's alright, it's alright, he is not a nice guy just forget about it." Haley said trying to get her to calm down.  
  
"No, it isn't, he is so mean, why does he have to be so cute?" She asked.  
  
"Cute?! after he does this to you, and I sacrifice my hand by punching him, you still think he is cute?"  
  
"Well yeah." She said drying her eyes. "Just because he is a jerk doesn't mean he is not cute."  
  
"Oh OK." Haley said. She went over to the door back to the classroom. When she opened it there stood Nathan Scott, he was covering his face with a hankerchief which was stained with blood.  
  
"Miss Olsen wants to speak to you." He said with a smirk.  
  
"Don't get blood on that beautiful shirt of yours." Haley said returning the smirk. She looked down at his shirt which was hanging loosely on him and had a few stains on it.  
  
She stepped inside.  
  
"Haley James, what was that about?" Her teacher asked sternly.  
  
"I hit Nathan."  
  
"I know that."  
  
"I hit him because he dipped Brooke's hair in ink," Haley replied.  
  
"What?" Miss Olsen asked.  
  
"He dipped her hair in ink, then wrote a note to Lucas saying he had done it." Haley replied.  
  
"Go get Mr. Scott." Miss Olsen replied.  
  
"Nathan." Haley called out the door.  
  
He walked in a few seconds later. Brooke also came in.  
  
"Yes?" Nathan asked sweetly.  
  
"Both of you have detentions after school, I will see you both after class."  
  
Nathan and Haley were kept in class for an hour writing on the board. I will not cause trouble in school  
  
"My hand is killing me." Haley exclaimed after they left.  
  
"Well neither of us would have been in there if you hadn't hit me."  
  
"No, well I wouldn't have been in there, I still would have told her that you put ink in her hair." Haley said. "But I was very glad actually that I hit you, other than that my hand has hurt all day it was a very good feeling."  
  
"I guess."  
  
"But why did you put ink in her hair?"  
  
"To get attention." Nathan replied with a laugh.  
  
"From who, the teacher? Brooke? Lucas?"  
  
"You." Nathan replied.  
  
"What?" Haley stopped dead in her tracks.  
  
"I will explain later, meet me this sunday before church in the stables."  
  
"Tell me now." Haley demanded.  
  
"No."  
  
"Then tell me tomorrow at school."  
  
"I am going with my dad to the city until saturday." Nathan replied. "I'll see you sunday OK?"  
  
She thought about it for a minute, "alright." She finally replied.  
  
Haley spent the rest of the week mainly by herself, she was completely confused about what had happened on monday, but she still couldn't wait until sunday.  
  
It was finally sunday, Haley got ready as fast as she could, "Mother, I am going to meet some friends this morning."  
  
"It is sunday, you can meet them tomorrow." Her mother called, but Haley was already out the door.  
  
Haley ran down to the church as fast as she could without ruining her dress. She got to the stables and she couldn't find Nathan.  
  
She felt someone touch her arm. Nathan pulled her over toward him.  
  
"Nathan?" She asked.  
  
"Yeah, shh." He said.  
  
"I can't even see you." She said.  
  
"Hold on." He replied.  
  
Nathan grabbed a lamp sitting near the door then took a match and lit it and set it on a ledge near where Haley stood.  
  
"So why are we here?" Haley asked.  
  
"Because I wanted to see you alone." Nathan replied.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because I like you." Nathan replied.  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"OK." She just stood there not knowing what to really say.  
  
He leaned really close to her and kissed her. She had never been kissed before, Haley had always imagined that her first kiss would be special, this of course was special, but she always thought she would have her first kiss when she was in a more romantic setting.  
  
"Nathan." Haley said.  
  
"What?" He asked.  
  
"This isn't really romantic at all." Haley said.  
  
"No?" He asked. "What would make it romantic?"  
  
"I don't know, but we are one stall away from animals. That isn't romantic."  
  
"Well, well, I know." He said.  
  
He grabbed Haley's arm and the lamp and walked really fast over to the back of the barn, "There are no animals here."  
  
"Well I don't know it still isn't romantic."  
  
"Just kiss me. And it will be a bit more romantic." He said.  
  
"OK." She let him kiss her and it still didn't seem in any way romantic. "Nathan, it still isn't." She said.  
  
"Well what on earth could make it romantic?" He said as he swung his arms up in the air. In the process he knocked the lamp off of the table.  
  
"Nathan!" Haley screamed. "You lit the barn on fire."  
  
The fire spread like mad, it caught onto the straw on the floor.  
  
"Come here." Nathan reached his hand out to Haley as he climbed up the ladder to the loft. Haley followed as fast as she could.  
  
Now they were in the top level of a burning building. The families who had been getting ready for church began to gather around and spread water over the place, Nathan and Haley watched as they lead the animals out.  
  
"Nathan, what do we do?" Haley asked.  
  
"I don't know." He said worried.  
  
"But we are stuck up here." She screamed.  
  
The fire began to spread over to the top level. Just then the roof started to collapse in. "Nathan!" Haley screamed.  
  
"Oh my gosh, Dan, Nathan is up there!" Deb screamed from the ground.  
  
There was a loud crash as the entire roof collapsed in. Nathan pushed Haley toward the door of the barn, and then he fell.  
  
Chapter 16 -  
  
Nathan woke a few days later in a bed in a hospital suite.  
  
"Where am I?" Nathan asked.  
  
"In the Hospital." A nurse said from beside his bed.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"You were in a fire. The roof of a burning barn you were in collapsed down on you, then you fell from the top level to the main floor." The nurse explained.  
  
"And the girl, Haley, where is she?" Nathan asked sitting up as fast as he could. He had a sling on his arm and bandages all over him.  
  
"She is not here. She suffered minor injuries, you may have saved her life when you pushed her from that window."  
  
"Really?" Nathan asked.  
  
"Yeah, her worst injury was a cut on her forehead." The nurse replied. "She was only here for an hour."  
  
"Oh." Nathan replied.  
  
"Nathan!" His mother said as she ran into the room. Dan followed her.  
  
"Hey mom, dad." He said.  
  
"How are you?"  
  
"I'm fine mom, I just want to go home."  
  
Deb looked to the nurse.  
  
"In a day or two." She said happily.  
  
Nathan was home in two days and back in school two days after that. He wanted to go, his mom tried to stop him, but Nathan just kept telling her it was just a broken wrist  
  
He came in late that morning and everyone turned to look at him when he walked in. Everyone except Haley, she had completely beaten herself up over it all. Nathan sat down next to Tim and everyone turned back to watch the teacher.  
  
"Nathan, don't be late tomorrow or I will have to keep you after class."  
  
"Alright ma'am."  
  
He went to his work right away, he was dreading lunchtime, he had come through the front doors in the morning and avoided seeing the barn.  
  
It was now lunch and he sat in his desk for as long as he could.  
  
"Nathan?" the teacher asked as she turned around from cleaning the board.  
  
"Yeah, I just don't want to go outside." Nathan replied.  
  
"I understand, how are you?"  
  
"I feel fine, but I know the whole town hates me and Haley is avoiding me, and so now I am confused." Nathan replied.  
  
"Haley doesn't hate you, she has been obsessing about you all week, at least four times I've had to talk to her about getting her mind onto something else, she was so scared she would lose you, and she feels like it was all her fault about it."  
  
"It wasn't"  
  
"I know, but you need to be the one to tell her that, everyone else has tried."  
  
"Thanks Miss. Olsen." He replied. Nathan walked outside and went to go find Haley.  
  
He eventually found her, she was sitting by herself next to a tree near the old stables, the sight of the barn made him shiver, he hated that he had done it.  
  
Haley was sitting with her head down and it looked like she had been crying.  
  
"Hi." Nathan said.  
  
"Hi," She said as she dried her eyes.  
  
"I think we should talk."  
  
"Why?" She asked.  
  
"Because Miss Olsen told me that you have been beating yourself up for a week now."  
  
"Well it was my fault I should have just not gone."  
  
"Well I'm glad you did, I know it ended bad, but I don't really regret it, all I hate about it is that your head is cut. I am not sore and I don't care. It wasn't your fault at all."  
  
"Yes it was."  
  
"No it wasn't. I don't blame you and nobody else does, it is all OK, my dad said he was going to pay for it and it is all fine." Nathan said.  
  
Haley burst into tears. "You don't know how happy I am that you are alright, I was so scared you weren't going to be OK, everyone was saying it was my fault and I wanted to die."  
  
"Who said it was your fault?" Nathan asked.  
  
"A bunch of people from school."  
  
"Well I hate them all now." Nathan replied.  
  
"Right, sure you do." Haley laughed.  
  
"I do, I will prove it to you too."  
  
"OK sure." She laughed.  
  
"Anyway, there is something I need to do OK?"  
  
"Alright." She replied. Haley got up and walked over to her group of friends.  
  
"Hey." Brooke said.  
  
"Hi guys."  
  
"Nice to have you back." They joked. All four girls went to doing their regular daily things.  
  
Nathan was back in time for class. He made a point to walk to teh front of the class. "Miss Olsen can I talk to the class?"  
  
"Sure Nathan." She replied.  
  
He took a deep breath. "OK anyone who said anything that hurt Haley in the last few days, I want to tell you all that you are all-"  
  
"Nathan, sit down." Miss Olsen cut in.  
  
He sighed and sat back down.  
  
Haley looked back at him and smiled.  
  
For the rest of the afternoon the older kids did literature work and the younger kids read short stories.  
  
Nathan met Haley outside of the doors after school.  
  
"Nathan you wanna play?" The guys asked.  
  
"No I'm going to walk Haley home, besides, my mom would get really mad if I did with my arm like this."  
  
Nathan walked a little way down the road and put his arm around Haley shoulder, she was a little suprised at first but she eventually leaned her head on his shoulder.  
  
They reached Haley's house and she reluctantly went inside.  
  
"Bye." She said sweetly.  
  
"Bye." He said with his famous grin.  
  
He held her hand until she was out of reach of it and she walked backwards a little ways.  
  
She lost her balance and fell right onto her butt.  
  
"Wow that was a little embarrassing," she said as he helped her up.  
  
"But it was cute." Nathan replied.  
  
She began to walk back toward the house, both were happy and they were really looking forward for the next day.  
  
Chapter 17 -  
  
"Haley, may I speak to you after school?" Miss. Olsen asked.  
  
"Sure." Haley replied, it was about and hour before the end of the day and a man had been sitting in the room all day, no one knew why though.  
  
Nathan gave her a look and she just shrugged her shoulders.  
  
He passed a note to her  
  
Haley,  
  
do you want me to wait for you when you come home?  
  
Nathan  
  
She read it and replied.  
  
Nate  
  
No that's alright, I can walk myself afterward.  
  
Haley  
  
He read it and nodded to her.  
  
After school Haley went to the teacher the older man got up off his chair near the back of the room and approached Haley and the teacher.  
  
"Hello young lady." He said. "Haley James is it?"  
  
"Yes. Nice to meet you Mr.-"  
  
"Caldwell. I am from the Teachers Association of North Carolina."  
  
"Oh, alright." Haley said confused.  
  
"Mr. Caldwell is here to talk to you Haley, to see whether you would like to teach at a school in a nearby town, Cove City, I'm sure you've heard of it. Anyway, the teacher there got married and they are in need of a new one, are you interested?" Miss Olsen asked.  
  
"Yes, but I am only fifteen."  
  
"We know, but you are the area's top student and you are very reliable, I wanted to know if you were interested, you would have to take a standard test, we could even take it right now, or you may talk to your parents first, but ultimately the choice is yours."  
  
"Sure, I can take it right now." Haley said. "I am not sure how well I will do, but I can."  
  
They set her up to take the test, she found it to be actually really easy and she finished it pretty fast.  
  
Mr. Caldwell took out the answer key and looked over Haley's test. "You did very well Miss James. You have scored the highest in four years. I am sure you will make a great teacher soon enough."  
  
"Thank you sir, When will I be leaving?"  
  
"As soon as possible, they have not had a teacher for two days already, and we need a person to fill the position as early as tomorrow."  
  
"Would Monday be alright? I have a few affairs I would need to get in order."  
  
"Monday is fine." he replied. "The town is nearby and you can make arrangements to come home on weekends."  
  
"Thank you sir."  
  
"We will have a teaching license made up for you as soon as possible, do you guys have a newspaper here?"  
  
"Yes, it is the third building on the left of the general store." Miss Olsen replied.  
  
"Why?" Haley asked.  
  
"I can use it to write up the license." He replied. "I will come by your house probably Saturday and give it to you."  
  
"That is fine Mr. Caldwell." Haley replied. "But now I should probably get home and make arrangements for coming home on weekends."  
  
"That is fine Miss James, I will try and come by personally this weekend, but I can't promise anything."  
  
"That is great." Haley replied.  
  
Just as she began to walk out of the door Miss Olsen stopped her. "Oh, Haley, don't bother coming to class the rest of the week, as far as I know, you are not one of my students anymore."  
  
She smiled and left the school.  
  
Haley went outside the school to find the boys still playing basketball.  
  
"Haley!" Nathan called. "What was all that about, you have been in there for over an hour."  
  
"I'm a teacher Nathan!" She screamed happily.  
  
"But you are fifteen."  
  
"I know, but I have the highest grade in the area and they wanted me specifically, this is so great, I've always wanted to teach, i get to start on Monday in Cove City."  
  
"Wait, you start right away?" He asked worried.  
  
"Yeah, as soon as possible. The teacher got married and they want me."  
  
"But I'll never see you anymore." He said, let down, he felt terrible, he wanted to feel good that Haley was getting to do what she wanted, but he didn't want to lose her ever.  
  
"Of course you will silly, I am coming home every Friday. My dad just needs to come get me."  
  
"Let me come get you." He offered. "I would love to."  
  
"Are you sure, you have other things you could do on a Friday afternoon."  
  
"I would have other things to do, but taking a two hour ride with you every Friday would be a lot better." He replied showing his priceless smiles.  
  
"I guess if you want to, my dad would love that more than driving out of his way all the time." Haley replied.  
  
"I want to, do you want company home?" He asked.  
  
"Yes please." Haley said in a cute way.  
  
"Good." He grabbed her books from her and began to walk her home.  
  
"So I'll come get you on Friday right?" Nathan asked as he dropped Haley off at the home she was staying at in Cove City.  
  
"Yeah." She replied. It was followed by an awkward silence.  
  
"So, don't go falling for any of these Cove City guys before I can win your heart again." Nathan joked.  
  
"Who says you have won my heart?" She asked sweetly.  
  
"Me. And your eyes say it."  
  
"Do they?" She asked, the two moved closer together.  
  
"Yes." Nathan replied, they were barely a foot away from each other now. "Every time I look in them when we are alone they look different then when there are other people around."  
  
"That is very true you know."  
  
"Yep, I know." Nathan said, he was not even inches away from her now. "Haley-"  
  
"Just kiss me." She said, he did and they didn't break free for a few moments, until the family Haley was staying with came outside. "Hello everyone, I'm Haley James."  
  
"Hello Haley, I'm Jillian, and this is my husband Thomas, and our daughter Elizabeth, one of your students tomorrow, our son Jeffery is out with a group of friends he should be back later." Jillian, a middle aged woman with dark hair and some Gray hairs peeking through.  
  
"Oh, and this is Nathan, he will be coming to pick me up every Friday and dropping me off every Sunday." Haley said motioning toward Nathan.  
  
"Hello Nathan," Jillian said.  
  
Nathan went and grabbed Haley's bag, he carried it for her to the house.  
  
"Nathan, would you like to stay for dinner?" Thomas asked.  
  
"No sir, I should be getting home I have an hours drive left, I will see you guys Friday bye sweetheart." He began to walk toward the door, Haley followed him.  
  
"I'll see you in five days." She said.  
  
"I still wish you didn't have to be here, I wish you could be home in Tree Hill."  
  
"I know Nate, but just think, with all the money I can save we can afford a lot more in the future."  
  
"Isn't the man of the house supposed to be the one providing for the family." He asked.  
  
"Not to me. I will help out as much as I can." She replied.  
  
He gave her a kiss on the forehead and he walked out. She closed the door behind him and leaned her back against it. She looked toward the corner and saw the young girl, about ten, Elizabeth.  
  
"Hey." Haley said.  
  
"Hi." Elizabeth replied. "Are you going to be my teacher?"  
  
"Yeah." Haley said.  
  
"Is he your boyfriend?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Do you love him?"  
  
"You ask a lot of questions Elizabeth, you know that?"  
  
"My mommy says that all the time."  
  
"Well your mommy is a smart lady, let's go to dinner."  
  
Elizabeth followed her.  
  
Haley figured she was going to fit in just fine.  
  
Chapter 18 -  
  
"Hello class, my name is Miss James."  
  
"Hello, Miss James." the class chimed.  
  
"OK, I need a responsible student to tell me where this class left off on all of their assignments. Anyone?"  
  
They all sat there.  
  
"If you don't tell me I will choose a spot from wherever and tonight I will talk to your past teacher and find out where you are." Haley said sternly.  
  
"Miss James." Said a boy in the back, he was about her age and he had a smirk on his face.  
  
"Yes?" She asked.  
  
"My name is Jeffery Edwards."  
  
"I know, I am staying at your house, please get to your point." She said sternly, she didn't like the look on his face.  
  
"How old are you?"  
  
"That isn't really any of your business." Haley replied.  
  
"You look like you are younger than me." He said, his group of friends around him all began to laugh.  
  
"Please get to the point."  
  
"Well how can you expect us to trust you as a teacher if you won't even give any information about yourself." Jeffery continued.  
  
"My name is Haley James, I am from Tree Hill, I am fifteen, I am your teacher is there anything else?"  
  
"I want a new teacher." He said. "I don't think a girl who is a year younger than me should be teaching us, boys do you agree?" The whole group of boys all nodded in agreement.  
  
"Jeffery, you are staying after class." Haley said. "And for now, stand in the corner."  
  
"Make me." He said. "You can't get me to do anything." He stood up and walked out of the classroom, his group of boys followed him.  
  
"Sorry about my brother Miss James." Elizabeth said. "This morning he told everyone to treat you like that, and he threatened to hurt everyone if we didn't."  
  
"Don't worry you guys, those boys will not be attending my class anymore." Haley replied. "So where are we in the books?"  
  
"Here." Elizabeth said. "My brother took this a week ago, it is the entire lesson plan for the rest of the year I took it back yesterday."  
  
"Thank you." Haley replied. "Please open your book to pages fifty eight and nine." The rest of the class went great.  
  
The next morning the boys showed up for class. "None of you are invited back in my classroom. get out." Haley commanded to the group of them as they came in late.  
  
"We go here, don't think that just because you are the teacher for now that you can tell us what to do." A boy said.  
  
"What is your name?" Haley asked. he stood there silent  
  
"Christopher Rogers. He's my brother" A girl, probably Elizabeth's age said.  
  
"Thank you Carla. Now get out of my classroom." Haley yelled.  
  
"Guys, let's get out of here, the less time we have to spend with this btch over here the better." Another boy said.  
  
The rest of the week went like that, the boys would disrupt the class all morning, then for the rest of the class everything would go fine.  
  
It was Friday afternoon, class was going to end in a little over an hour. A group of feet were heard at the back of the room. It was Jeffery, Christopher and their friends with Thomas.  
  
"Hello Mr. Edwards, boys." Haley said the last word coldly.  
  
"Miss James, what is this I hear from these boys that they aren't allowed to come to school?"  
  
"Yes I told them that, on the first day, they stole a lesson plan, threatened the rest of the class including your daughter, told me I was too young to teach, when by the way I am here because I chose to, your kids wouldn't have a teacher at all if it wasn't for me, they all mouthed off to me, and the next day when they came back they came late, it was the same the rest of the week, I will not teach them if they are going to make trouble." Haley replied.  
  
"Well you don't have a choice do you, the county says they go to school and they will go to school."  
  
"No Mr. Edwards, I looked that up just in case of a situation like this with parents, and as long as they are sixteen they don't have to be at school."  
  
"Well I am his parent and I say he stays in school."  
  
Haley turned the the rest of the class. "Students, continue with this page, Mr. Edwards, Boys, let me see you outside." She stepped outside with the boys. "I am not going to argue in front of my younger students, but I also am not going to let these boys back in my class unless they start to follow the rules that have been set out by me."  
  
"These rules are?"  
  
"They come to class on time, they don't mouth off, they do their work, and if they do anything out of line they take punishment."  
  
"Listen here Missy," The man said as he got right in Haley's face, she stood tall. "These boys are boys-"  
  
"And I know boys their age and they don't act like that so if you please, would you back off and we can discuss this like civilized people."  
  
"Are you saying I am not civilized?" He yelled angrily still right up in her face.  
  
"I did not-" He grabbed her wrist. "Let go of me!" She yelled. He didn't listen.  
  
"What the hell is going on here?" Yelled a voice behind Haley.  
  
"Who are you?" Mr. Edwards asked, he was still clutching Haley's wrist.  
  
"Her boyfriend, take your hands off of her."  
  
"Nathan?" Haley turned her body as best as she could.  
  
"Let go of her now!" Nathan yelled. The students were all crowded around the door of the school. He still held her arm so Nathan lunged at the man. As he did the entire group of guys all jumped in on him.  
  
A group of men working down at the mill a few doors down ran up to break up the fight.  
  
"Tom what is going on?" One guy asked after they pulled them apart.  
  
"This boy lunged at me I don't even know who he is." He said innocently.  
  
"You liar!" Haley yelled. The group of men all looked to the girl. "He came to my class to complain that his son wasn't in class, when I kicked him out until he follows my rules, we came outside to finish our talk and Mr. Edwards here grabbed my arm when I told him to back off from my face and Nathan came to stop him." Haley replied. She turned to the kids standing in the doorway. "Students, go home early today alright, have a good weekend." They all ducked back inside and grabbed their things then left the area and went home.  
  
Haley talked it out with the adults there, Nathan watched pretty amazed at how grown up she really was. Haley worked things out to stay with another family. Elizabeth offered to drop her stuff at the Dalton farm. Haley thanked her.  
  
"So how other than that was your week?" Nathan asked on the ride home.  
  
"It went pretty good." She replied. "Are you sure your alright?" She asked, he had been beaten pretty hard by the guys back in Cove City.  
  
"I am fine, how's your wrist."  
  
"It will bruise but it is fine." Haley replied. She smiled and within a few minutes she had fallen asleep on his shoulder from her long day.  
  
Nathan looked down on her and smiled, then continued home.  
  
Chapter 19 -  
  
Nathan and Haley were engaged. It had been over two years since the day at the school. It was kind of an ironic thing too, the watched their friends all fall in love with each other and they were all now married, Megan and Brooke even had kids.  
  
Nathan and Haley now had a problem, they had been engaged for longer than any of their friends, but still hadn't gotten married.  
  
On this night the two were sitting out by the river, it was a warm summer day. "Haley how long are we going to have to wait, I want to marry you."  
  
"I want to marry you too, but you know I don't want to give up my job Nathan, and when girls get married they are expected to get rid of their jobs, how do you think I got this job in the first place, the other lady got married."  
  
"I know Haley, and you know I would have no problem if you kept your job."  
  
"I know, but people will talk." Haley replied. "I don't know what I want right now."  
  
"You don't know what you want?" He asked angrily as he stood up. "You know, for the last year and a half I have watch you do what you love, and I have been happy to see you happy, but now I want to be happy. I love you and I am not askig you to stop doing what you love, all I want is for you to let me be happy too."  
  
She sat there almost in tears, she hated to see him upset, but she was so confused. "Nathan-"  
  
"No Haley, you won't even choose a date for the wedding, at least let us do that. Do you want a summer wedding, this summer, a autumn wedding, or one in the winter?"  
  
"An autumn one, I love the look of the trees then." Haley finally replied.  
  
"OK, so you want the wedding to be this fall, probably Octoberish?" She nodded lightly. "And outside?" She nodded again. "See was that so hard?" She shook her head.  
  
"No."  
  
He smiled and leaned in and kissed her.  
  
"Look's like we all had the same idea." Brooke said with a laugh behind Nathan and Haley, she stood with Lucas and baby Gwen. With her was Megan standing with little Matthew and Tim. Peyton was also there with Jake, she was about seven months pregnant.  
  
"We made plans earlier to meet here, we just didn't know you guys would be." Tim laughed.  
  
"Well we ARE here." Nathan replied.  
  
"And so are we, so we can join you can't we?" Peyton asked.  
  
Haley leaned to Nathan who was about to say no "Remember, pregnant," She laughed. "Don't forget what Brooke did when she was pregnant." The memory of Brooke kicking him really hard in his groin made him smile at teh group and let them sit down.  
  
"So what were you two up to?" Peyton asked.  
  
"We were making wedding plans." Haley said with a smile. The girls got all smiley and they got into a conversation about it.  
  
The guys talked about that year's crop, Tim and Jake had the two biggest farms in the area. Jake had been head of his farm since he was fourteen when his dad had died, and Tim had become the head of the house when his dad died recently, Nathan and Lucas who really didn't care that much always pretended as if they did. And they knew that one of them would take over their dad's farm when he died so they decided they should listen a little more.  
  
"I'm kind of tired Jake, can we go home?" Peyton asked sweetly.  
  
"Yeah, I'm tired to." Brooke said to Lucas, "And she has been sleeping for two hours. She nodded towards Gwen who was sleeping next to Matthew.  
  
Lucas and Jake nodded. After they got up and left Megan and Tim left too.  
  
"It is getting late Nathan, we better go home too." She said as she stood up. "I'm sorry we didn't get much time to ourselves."  
  
"Well I only care that me and you got to decide some things about out future."  
  
"Oh Nathan, you know we have a lot more things to work out about our future." She laughed and he took her home.  
  
After going home that night Nathan began to think about their future. He first thought about Haley and decided after they got married he would let her continue working. The he thought about the farm and he knew Lucas would take over that one, him and Brooke were living there now, Nathan figured he would end up the head of Haley's farm, which scared him a little, but she was worth it. At the same time he was more confused and worried than before, Haley had made him think a lot about his life and more than anything it scared him. He really had to make one decision and that was what he was going to do, the teacher here in Tree Hill was a man now and he wasn't going anywhere for a while, so Haley would be teacher where she was now, where did that leave him. Damn Haley for making me worry about this, why couldn't she have jsut let me be happy for a little while? He thought with a laugh, but the feeling still worried him inside. Chapter 20 -  
  
"I can't believe you are finally getting married." Brooke said as he hoverred over her friend who was still asleep.  
  
"Let me sleep." Haley replied groggily.  
  
"Nope you are getting up, eating then you will get your hair done, then get your dress on." She was way too perky for early in the morning.  
  
Haley sat up, she rubbed her eyes and went downstairs to eat.  
  
"Nathan, come on, you have to calm down." Lucas said annoyed. "I didn't get up this early to watch you worry about every little thing in your life. I could be back home with my wife and daughter right now, and Brooke is pregnant again so I want to spend a lot of time with her. Last time father always had you and I doing errands and I want to be there for her as much as possible."  
  
"Oh Lucas, can't my wedding day be about me for once it has been about you for the last year, your wonderful wedding, your beautiful daughter, and how your wife is the prettiest girl around, father leaving you the farm last month. Can't it just once be about me. Oh, and Haley is twice as beautiful as Brooke." Nathan yelled angrily, the two had been on bad terms since their father had taken ill and died a month and a half ago.  
  
Lucas stepped back, a little surprised at how Nathan was acting. "I never said Haley was ugly," He replied.  
  
"I never said you did, but don't go around bragging to the rest of the town how your wife is the greatest girl around."  
  
"You know, jsut because dad left me the life that you wanted doesn't mean you have the right to insult me and my faimly."  
  
"I am not insulting you or your family, I love Brooke, she is a great woman and baby Gwen is great, I just want you to realize that you can't tell other people who love their families that your's is the best, sooner or later someone is going to lash out at you much worse than I am now."  
  
"You know is this the thanks I get for being there for my brother on his wedding day? I am going to go see if the ceremony is ready." Lucas stormed out of the room, Nathan collapsed into his chair and regretted everything he had just said. It had all come out wrong. He sighed then tried to forget about it so that he wouldn't have other things other than Haley on his mind.  
  
Haley stood in front of her mirror, she was completely dressed and she looked stunning.  
  
"Haley, it is so beautiful."  
  
"I know, thanks for finding the dress Brooke."  
  
"I know, I have the best sense of style." Brooke laughed. "Now lets get you down to the lake." Nathan and Haley had decided not to have a traditional one in the chapel.  
  
Nathan had made it down to the chapel, guest were arriving.  
  
"Lucas."  
  
He turned to see his brother. "Hello." He replied.  
  
"OK, here's the thing, I don't want us to hate each other, not ever, especially not today, I need my big brother at my wedding."  
  
"You don't really think you can get rid of me that easy do you?" Nathan laughed and the two went to the arch and stood ready for Haley to come down the aisle.  
  
Brooke and the girls came down first, finally it was Haley's turn, she breathed and as the guest stood up she began to walk down the aisle.  
  
She reached the end and finally looked Nathan in the eyes. He mouthed those three words that had never meant more than tehy did today. She smiled and replied the same thing.  
  
They went through the ceremony happily and with no mistakes, after the wedding tehy all went back to Haley's home for the reception.  
  
"I can't believe you two were the last to get married, look at us, we all have kids while you two are just getting hitched." Peyton said with a laugh as she tried to keep the new baby Jason calm.  
  
"Peyton, I love you, but if you refer to today as getting hitched again, i may have to hurt you." Haley joked.  
  
"Got that." Peyton replied.  
  
"OK everyone, my brother and new sister in law have some things to say to each other," Lucas said motioning to Haley and Nathan who were standing holding hands.  
  
He stepped back and Haley turned to face Nathan. "OK, first I wanted to say thank you, more than anything this last year and a half I have known that you are the person for me because you have stuck by me for this long before I decided it was time to get married, Nathan, I am so happy and more than ever I know that when we stay here in Tree Hill that it is the right choice. For the rest of my life I am yours and I want you to know how much I love you." She rose up onto her toes and kissed his cheek.  
  
"Haley, I want you to know that you mean enough to me that I would have waited for another hundred years before I gave up on us. I don't want you to give up all that you love and I want you to be happy, I love you more than anyone and I only want to see you happy, that makes me more happy than anything."  
  
Haley began to tear up. "Nathan, you are the only thing now that can make me happy." She let him kiss her and the rest of the room cheered.  
  
"And to all of you, we want to thank you so much for being here with us to share this day with us. You guys are amazing thank you." Haley added, they crowd cheered even louder.  
  
Chapter 21 -  
  
It was after the wedding party Nathan and Haley were taking a walk after all the guests had left.  
  
"I love you a lot you know?" Nathan asked.  
  
"Nathan, that's not something you confirm with me after we get married." She said.  
  
"I know, but I do, I want everything for you, you are my favorite person in the world."  
  
"You sound like you are trying to win my affection, but you already have it." Haley said with a laugh as sh pulled clsoer to him. "I'm cold."  
  
"Do you want to go inside?" He asked.  
  
"Well where? We never did decide it, we can go to your house, but your family will be home especially Lucas, we can go to my house, but my family is home and that would be strange. I don't know where to go."  
  
"Why don't we spend the night at the inn, they never are full."  
  
"True." Haley replied.  
  
"And tomorrow morning when we take the coach to New York tomorrow for our honeymoon, we will be clsoer to the stop anyway right?"  
  
"Yeah." She said, "But my things are all back at the reception."  
  
"Mine too."  
  
The next morning Nathan and Haley got on the coach and went to New York city. Their trip was cut short when Haley got word from her mother, that her father had become sick and they made it back home in time before he died.  
  
In a twist of events all of Haley's brothers who had lives of their own had come back for the reading of the will hoping they would get something. All four of them had smaller plots of land miles away and they all wanted a piece of their father's large farm.  
  
A lawyer from the city, and close friend to Haley's father, Darryl Taylor, had insisted on reading the will and being present jsut in case of any problems.  
  
He went through all the small things first, most of which went to her mother, but a few things were divided between Haley's brothers. Haley didn't think she was going to get much out of the deal because the will had been written a little while before her and Nathan were actually married. But at the same time she wished she had been left some amount of money because her and Nathan would die before they spent another week in Lucas and Brooke's home.  
  
"In the case of the entire estate and all the farm tools, I have decided to leave all of them as one unit, this unit will be left to my daughter Miss Haley James, after her marriage to Nathan Scott, if i am to die before that marriage the farm will be tended to by Haley and My wife. Also, Haley is to only accept the farm under the circumstances that my wife Heather is to stay and live with them for a long as she chooses."  
  
The entire room went so silent you could hear a pin drop. Haley was overwhelmed, and what was written had not entirely sunk in, she turned to Nathan, who looked as shocked as her, he had always thought that Haley's father hated him because he was taking away his only daughter.  
  
"That's preposterous!" Yelled Haley's oldest brother Harold.  
  
"I am sorry sir?" Mr. Taylor asked.  
  
"She is a girl, she cannot run the farm by herself."  
  
"She will not be running it by herself Harold, Nathan will be there, as it states clearly in the will that they will take over all control of the farm." Haley's mother replied.  
  
"You think he can run an entire farm, as a child he grew up with absolutely no chores around the farm at all, his father paid for people to help, do you think he is prepared to take care of our little sister and the home we lived in our entire lives?" The second oldest son Howard yelled.  
  
"I think he can." Haley said angrily. "Acutally I know he can."  
  
"He is not part of this family, he was not father's son," Haley's third brother, Henry replied.  
  
"Now that is a funny statement Henry, who was it that was there at your father's side when he died, who came all the way from New York City to say goodbye to him, not you I would like to point out." Haley's mother came back to defending them.  
  
"We have lives, farms to run back home, we did not have the time to come out here two weeks ago."  
  
"But you sure had the time to rush back when the will was being read, funny how that works huh?" Nathan asked.  
  
"You have no right to speak to me that way Mr. Scott."  
  
"And you have no right to trespass on our property." Haley replied.  
  
"Excuse me little sister?" Howard gave her a cold look.  
  
"She is right you know, the will states this is her property, you must leave if she asks." It was Mr. Taylor who spoke up.  
  
Nathan and Haley settled into the life pretty fast, after three months the farm was as successful as ever.  
  
One day Nathan had to drive into the city to purchase one of the mills in the city, between the two of them, they chose to spend the money Nathan's father had left him on the mill, it would make them the richest family in the county.  
  
"I'll be back in two weeks alright Haley?" He said with a smile.  
  
"That's forever." Haley replied unhappily.  
  
"I know, but after ward we will have a much better life, I will be able to take even better care of you." Nathan replied.  
  
"Us, better care of us." Haley said with a huge grin.  
  
"Us?" He questioned at first, then his face lit up. "Are you?"  
  
"Yes, in about five months." Nathan Pulled Haley as close as he could and spun her around.  
  
"I love you so much." He said. "Both of you."  
  
"And I love you too." Haley hugged him one alst time and he hurried away, he wanted to get there and back as fast as he possibly could.  
  
THE END 


	4. Titanic

Chapter 22 -  
  
April 9 1912  
  
"I promise Mother, we will be careful." Brooke Davis said trying to get her Mother to let her and her friends leave.  
  
"We promsie Mrs. Davis, your daughter is safe with us." Peyton Sawyer said happily, her father had let her go no problem, ther saw it like a new opportunity.  
  
Haley James on the other hand was only taking this trip by luck, her father and mother had been killed earlier on that year and she had been staying by herself in her large home, Brooke's father had agreed to let Brooke go as long as both her and Peyton went with her, so he agreed to also pay for Haley, the familes all had been close and didn't want Haley to be left behind. She had offered to pay with the money her father and mother had left her, but it would have been barely enough, and Mr. Davis wanted her to have some money for when they arrived. Haley's family also was never as rich as Brooke, her father had a gambling problem and was always losing money. Haley would never forget the day a group of men came to her house and held her a knife point until she gave them the money her father owed.  
  
"OK let's go." Brooke gave her mom one last hug and the three sent off, they got into the car.  
  
They began to drive, they had two days until they were actually boarding, they were to spend a night in an inn on the way to Waterloo.  
  
After dark came the three asked the driver to stop at the nearest hotel. They stepped out of the car, it was a smaller inn, nothing compared to what they would normally have stayed at, but until they reached the ship, they were not spending much.  
  
"Hello ladies, can we offer to take your bags?" A young man asked.  
  
Brooke looked him up and down, he looked too well off to be working at a small inn like this. "Do you work here?" She asked curiously.  
  
"No. I was just offering." The man replied.  
  
"Then sure." Peyton replied, dumping her bags into his arms. he made a weak little smile but followed her in.  
  
"I'll take yours." Another guy said to Brooke.  
  
"Good, becuase there is no way I will be taking them myself." She laughed. Haley didn't think it was too funny.  
  
Haley picked up her own bags for the voernight trip, she had about half as much as the otehr girls.  
  
"Would you like me to take yours?" Another guy asked. Haley looked up at him, he was tall with short dark hair, but his bright eyes caught her attention the most.  
  
"I can manage," she finally replied.  
  
"I'm sure you can, but I would like to help." He replied showing off a sly smile. "I'm Nathan by the way. Nathan Scott"  
  
"Well Nathan Scott, if you insist." She handed him her bags.  
  
"So am I allowed to know your name?" He asked.  
  
"Well Mr. Scott aren't you persistant." She replied coldly. She looked into his eyes again and gave up her hard outside shell. "Haley, Haley James."  
  
"That's a nice name Miss James."  
  
"Thank you, but ifyou call me Miss James again, I might hurt you, call me Haley."  
  
He was surprised at her attitude, but he found it erotic insome way. She caught him looking at her and he turned his head to face forward again.  
  
He brought her to the room, Brooke and Peyton had already chosen beds, Haley set her bag onto hers.  
  
"So, you in the doorway," Brooke said looking to Nathan, "Are you going the otehr five of us for a late dinner?"  
  
"Alright, I'm Nathan Scott by the way."  
  
"Brooke Davis, this is Peyton, I'm sure you've met Haley, and I'm pretty sure you know these two since they are your friends. See you in half an hour." She smiled then closed the door.  
  
Brooke Haley and Peyton met Nathan, His brother Lucas, and their friend Jake Jagielski. After an interesting dinner Haley went to bed.  
  
April 10 1912  
  
The next morning, the boys offered to join the girls to the ship, Brooke had come up with a plan that night, but no one knew it.  
  
"Hello sir." She said as she went up to the ticket counter, everyone looked at her strangely.  
  
"What on earth is she doing?" Peyton asked.  
  
"I don't want to know." Haley replied.  
  
Brooke returned, with a large smile on her face, and somthing in her hands. "Hello everyone, so boys, do you still want to come with us to America?" She asked, holding up the tickets she had just bought.  
  
"We.... I..... But.... why.... we can't." Lucas stuttered.  
  
"You can and you will, I will provide money for you guys to buy some proper clothing, not that I don't love the look you have going, but it is not up to where we will be in first class. Please, you guys have been really nice and I want you on the trip with us because you can't afford to go, it's not fair you were robbed."  
  
"Yes Brooke but we had barely enough money to pay for three in second class, it would be taking advantage of you if we got first class ones and an entire new wardrobe."  
  
"Too bad. When Brooke gets her mind set on somthing no one at all can disagree. So let's not make a scene." Peyton said, she grabbed Jake's arm and followed Brooke who was dragging Lucas. Haley gave Nathan a looked, then nodded her head to follow her.  
  
"This is amazing!" Haley exclaimed, the entire group had finished buying their clothing and they stood outside the ship, She was wearing a beautiful new saphire dress Brooke wanted her to get.  
  
"Tickets please?" The man asked as they went to board the ship. Brooke happily handed the man their tickets. "Welcome Ladies and Gentlemen, to the RMS Titanic. This is Sedgrick, he will help you with any otehr luggage." He pointed to a tiny man, there was no way he would be able to hold all the things they still were carrying with them.  
  
"I'll take my own." Everyone, aside from Brooke said politely, he had been weighed down by her bags. The man gave tehm a grateful nod.  
  
They were lead onto the ship, everyone was amazed by the beauty and craftsmanship of the vessel, first, their guide lead them up the grand staircase, it was so beautiful. After that, the group was lead down an amazingly beautiful hallway, not one of them had been this taken back by a hallway before. Finally they stepped into their room, and Haley gasped, it was amazing.  
  
They had an entire discussion about how beautiful the ship was, then decided that they would help to unpack a little.  
  
"What on earth could you have possibly been thinking Brooke?" Haley screamed as soon as the men had left.  
  
"What? They were going to get tickets before they were robbed anyway." Brooke replied.  
  
"And you believed it because it came from a good looking guys mouth, now you Brooke are spending the rest of your trip paying for three extra people, do you plan on surviving as a prostitute when we reach America?"  
  
"It wasn't a lie Haley, they were robbed, Jake told me also." Peyton said trying to loosen things up.  
  
"They better have been because, oh I would be so angry. Although now I am going to be busy this whole trip trying to avoid couple activities since you and those men seem to have become close, very fast."  
  
"And you are denying the attraction between you and Lucas' Brother Nathan? He likes you, I see how he looks at you."  
  
"There is nothing there." Haley replied plainly.  
  
Meanwhile  
  
"Aren't they amazing?" Lucas asked out of nowhere.  
  
"I don't really know anything about Brooke or, um Haley, but Peyton is amazing." Jake replied.  
  
"Oh look at you, you hardly know them, you are going to get your little hearts broken when we arrive in America and tehy run off with a fiance or something." Nathan shook his head.  
  
"No, they are not engaged, besides little brother of mine, the other girl, Haley, has obvious feelings for you, you just can't see how she looks at you."  
  
"Oh right, there is absolutely no chance of that, at all!" Nathan said frustrated, he stepped into the washroom and shook his head. Haley was leaning against the other side of the same wall thinking the same thing, this will be a long trip.  
  
Chapter 23 -  
  
April 10 1912  
  
"Hello Mr. Scott." Brooke said happily as Lucas held out his arm for her.  
  
Peyton and Jake had a similar introduction, Haley stepped out of the room, Nathan hardly noticed that she looked so beautiful, he just held out his arm and she took it.  
  
They reached the dinning room, it was a beautiful area. Haley looked at all the details, Nathan was doing the same.  
  
They sat down, "Hello Ladies, gentlemen, Here are your menu's, can I interest you in any wines?  
  
"Red, preferably Italian." Brooke said. Lucas Peyton and jake agreed.  
  
"I'll just have water." Both Nathan and Haley said, they exchanged an awkward look but nodded.  
  
They went to their menu's. Haley looked it over, soon she decided on a Chicken Cordon Bleu with smoked ham and swiss cheese. Soon the waiter came back.  
  
"I'll have the Lasagna Primo," Brooke said sweetly.  
  
"I'd like your Filet Mignons," Peyton added.  
  
"I'll have your Halibut Steak Platter," Jake said.  
  
"Same." Lucas said.  
  
"And for you sir?" He asked Nathan.  
  
"The Chicken Cordon Bleu."  
  
Haley's head shot up, she looked as fast as she could for anything else on the menu, but couldn't find anything in time, "Miss?"  
  
"That sounds good, I'll have the same." Haley said awkwardly. Nathan looked at her funny. She noticed. "I think I'm going to get some air." She said as the man walked away, Haley stood up.  
  
"Go after her Nathan." Brooke said. "She will freeze all by herself on the deck." He stood up and followed.  
  
"Haley," Nathan called.  
  
"Yes?" She turned around and er face fell, why was he following her. "Oh, hi."  
  
"Don't sound excited," he laughed, "I just wanted to get to know you, my other friends seem to have taken to your friends, and for now, another friend would be nice." He made a slight emphasis on the 'friend' statemnt in that sentence.  
  
"Alright Mr. Scott, then I will see you in the dinning hall, I will be alright here." He nodded and turned the other way. He got inside and it all of a sudden felt very hot, he decided he would go take a walk on the other side of the deck than Haley.  
  
Haley walked along the deck, making her way to the front of the ship, as she walked along, she noticed that most of the people on the deck were grown men, she wrapped her shawl around her tighter and walked faster.  
  
Soon she found that there was a group of men following her. She began to go almost to a run.  
  
"Missy, why are ye walking so fast?" One man asked.  
  
"Leave me alone." Haley replied.  
  
"Why, we just want ter talk." They replied, the voice sounded Irish.  
  
"Please leave me alone." She said louder. She kept at her pace.  
  
The men went faster and caught up to her as she reached right at the front of the ship. One of the men grabbed her arm tightly and spun her around. "Why are ye runnin'?"  
  
"Let go of me!" She yelled as loud as she could.  
  
The screams caught Nathan's attention, and he thought of Haley, then thought of all the people seen on the deck, they looked dodgy.  
  
He ran toward the screams, soon he saw a group of people hudddled around something, he went right up to them and saw Haley, she looked like she had fallen to her knees on the deck. "What's going on?" Nathan yelled. The people all looked over to him, then ran in different directions. He thought about going after some of them, but he went to Haley. "Are you alright?" He asked. Her dress was ripped, and she looked scared to death.  
  
"Yeah, I was jsut scared." He reached his hand to help her up. "I'm OK now. Let's go inside. Thank you."  
  
"I don't mean to sound horrible, but you don't look to be in much of a state to be going to dinner." She looked down at herself and laughed a little.  
  
"No not really." She replied. "Would you accompany me to my room?" Haley asked.  
  
"Yes, can I just tell the otehrs we won't be coming to dinner?"  
  
"Yes." Haley replied. She waited outside the dinning room.  
  
Nathan came out and took Haley to the room. "Do you want me to wait outside?" He asked.  
  
"No, you may come in." She replied. She held the door for him. "I'm going to change."  
  
She went into the washroom, then soon came out in her nightgown.  
  
"Are you sure you are alright?" He asked.  
  
"Yes, I am, don't worry." She replied. "Thank you though, I hate to think what would have happened-"  
  
He put his finger to her lips, "shh, don't even think of it." Nathan replied. She nodded. "Why don't you go to bed, I'll wait in here, read a book or something."  
  
"OK." Haley replied. She got into bed. "Nathan?" she said, he turned around. "Thank you."  
  
"Any decent guy would have saved you from those jerks."  
  
"But a real gentleman would make sure I was alright," She turned off the light, Nathan stepped into the other room, he picked up a book and began to read, but soon he fell asleep.  
  
Haley lay in bed awke for a while, she decided she wasn't getting to sleep, so she went out to go see Nathan. He was asleep on the chair. A smile spread across her face, he looked pretty cute. She grabbed a blanket and spread it acroos him, picked up the book from his stomach and turned out the light, then headed to bed herself.  
  
Nathan woke up briefly a few mintues after Haley went into her room, he thought about getting up, but he fell asleep to quick.  
  
April 11 1912  
  
The next morning Haley was pressured as soon as she got up, about what had happened, Nathan had jsut told them that she was gonig to bed.  
  
"Haley, I saw your dress, what happened?" Brooke asked  
  
"I'm fine don't worry." Haley replied.  
  
"I'll just ask Nathan."  
  
"And he won't tell you." Haley replied.  
  
Brooke sighed, and walked out defeated, Haley had to laugh.  
  
Today the group was taking a special first class advantage, tour of the ship "That was amazing," Haley said at dinner.  
  
"Yes, I agree, there is so much work to be done to make a ship go, I am just glad we get the easy road." Lucas laughed.  
  
Everyone agreed.  
  
After dinner Nathan, Lucas, and Jake insisted on taking the girls for a walk. All in differnt directions.  
  
"So I think my brother is falling for your friend." Nathan said.  
  
"Yes, she is too, I have never seen her like that." Haley laughed.  
  
"And my friend seems to be falling for your otehr friend." Nathan added.  
  
"Yes," Haley said, not sure what he was getting at.  
  
"And I think my brother's brother is falling for your friend's friend." Haley looked up at him, he had that smile on his face, and his deep eyes were as beautiful as ever.  
  
"Oh really. So do you think my friends friend is falling for your brothers brother?" She asked.  
  
"I hope so." Nathan added. She just stood there. "Haley, here's the thing, I at first thought you were just some spoiled brat who cared for no one but herself, but after last night I saw something else in you, and I loved that, I'm really falling for you, no one has ever had me thinking about them this much in this short of time, or ever."  
  
She didn't know what to say, she hadn't thought about having feelings for him before, but after he said it, she seemed to feel for him an entirely different way. "I... Um.... I don't know what to say."  
  
"Then don't say anything, just don't run away." He replied.  
  
"There's no chance I'm doing that."  
  
April 12 1912  
  
Over the next day, Haley did come to understand her feelings for him, he was an amazing guy when she didnt shut him out, and she sure wasn't doing that again.  
  
That night they decided to take another walk, Lucas, Brooke, Jake, and Peyton, had gone off to give the two some alone time.  
  
"Wouldn't it be weird if they got together too?" Brooke asked as they sat by the pool.  
  
"I can see it happening, my brother is never this nice of a guy, he is head over heels for her." Lucas replied.  
  
"Just like I am for you." Jake said to Peyton.  
  
"Ahem" Brooke said to Lucas.  
  
"And I of course am for you." He added embarrassed.  
  
"Good." She said. Peyton laughed, Lucas went beat red and Jake just sat there, just as Jake usually did unless he was alone with Peyton.  
  
"Hello everyone." Haley said as Nathan held the door for her, he had his other hand around her waist.  
  
"Did we not see that?" Brooke laughed, Lucas Jake and Peyton did too, Nathan and Haley looked dumbfounded.  
  
"Hello Ladies and Gentlemen, we are sorry, but me must close the pool now." A man in a tuxedo, obviosly a worker of some type said.  
  
"Thank you sir." Haley nodded her head a little and Nathan took her up to bed.  
  
"I am going to stay in Lucas' room tonight." Brooke said. Haley and Peyton's eyes widened and they looked to each otehr.  
  
"Brooke?" Haley asked.  
  
"It's alright, I love him." Brooke replied.  
  
"It's been only a few days."  
  
"Well I love Jake, and it has only been a few days." Peyton said, eyeing Haley. "We will see you in the morning Brooke."  
  
"Goodnight." She replied. "It's alright Haley. And come on, don't even try to say Nathan and you don't love each other."  
  
Haley opened her mouth to deny it, but then closed it again, she didn't know if she was or not.  
  
April 13 1912  
  
The entire next day Haley was contemplating what Brooke had said, she had never felt like this with anyone otehr than Nathan, but she wasn't sure if it was love.  
  
"Why are you being so distant?" Nathan asked. She hadn't meant to be, but it had become that way.  
  
"I'm not meaning to." Se replied, "I just have a lot on my mind."  
  
"Alright." Nathan replied. "Would you like to join me Lucas and Jake on a trip to the gymnasium?"  
  
"No I think I should spend some alone time with Brooke and Peyton." Haley replied.  
  
"I'll see you later then." he leaned in and gave her a kiss on the cheek. He hadn't done that before, and a smile spread across her face. "Sorry, I have been wanting to do that for two days now." She smiled.  
  
"You don't need to apologize." she replied, she leaned up and gave him a quick kiss on the lips. She turned around and walked to meet her friends. Nathan did the same.  
  
"So, brother, do you love her?" Lucas asked as they got out of earshot.  
  
"Haley? Yes, I think I do." Nathan said as he nodded a hello to another man.  
  
"I figured." he replied plainly, "You are never this good of a guy." He ran up ahead and Nathan followed.  
  
----------  
  
Brooke Haley and Peyton walked along the front of the ship. While passing a group of third class passengers haley noticed a farmiliar face. "Patricia?" She asked, a girl the three had known back home spun around. "I didn't know you would be on this passage."  
  
"Yes, my father was going to send me first class on the second voyage, but when he was able to pay for a third class one for the maiden voyage, he was thrilled." Her fatehr had been one of the poorer people in the area. "I am going to meet my fiance in New York City."  
  
"Oh, Patricia that is great." Haley replied. She looked abck toward Peyton and Brooke, who didn't like her all that much. "I better go, Peyton and Brooke are waiting." Patricia Brooke and Peyton exchanged nods as hellos.  
  
"Oh Haley, would you mind coming to visit me tomorrow evening?" She asked.  
  
"Why don't you come up to first class and have dinner with us?" Haley asked.  
  
"I would look out of place, we had to sell all of my more expensive things to afford the passage."  
  
"Alright then, I will join you tomorrow evening, what time?"  
  
"Well, we in third class have a later dinner, is ten o'clock alright?"  
  
"That's fine." Haley replied.  
  
----------  
  
"I didn't know you and her were friends." Brooke said.  
  
"She's nice." Haley replied.  
  
"She thinks I am a snot." Brooke replied.  
  
"A little." Laughed Peyton, "me too."  
  
The three headed to meet up with the men after a few minutes.  
  
Chapter 24 -  
  
April 14 1912  
  
"Good morning sunshine!" Haley said as she leaned over Nathan.  
  
He grummbled. but when he realized it was Haley, he pulled her down on top of him!  
  
"Ahh!" She screamed.  
  
"Shut up Haley!" It was Brooke.  
  
"It's not my fault you were up all night!" She replied, she heard cursing from the other room.  
  
"Tell me about it, tonight Haley, I am sleeping on your chair again I got a better sleep there." He laughed.  
  
Haley smiled. "Well I will feel protected tonight then." She smiled. "Oh wait, I am meeting my friend Patricia, she is in third class, I saw her on the deck yesterday."  
  
"Third class?" Nathan asked. "Why won't she come up here?"  
  
"She would feel left out, and below everyone. She would have nothing to wear."  
  
"Then get her a damn dress to wear." He exclaimed angrily.  
  
"Why are you angry Nathan, don't worry about me, I have known her for years."  
  
"I just don't feel right in you going down there tonight, what about tomorrow afternoon, I don't wnat you down there tonight."  
  
"What's wrong with tonight?" She asked.  
  
"I don't know it just feels wrong." He replied.  
  
"I promise, I will do everything with you tomorrow." She erplied hopefully.  
  
"What if I come with you tonight?" He asked.  
  
"Um, that shouldn't be a problem I don't think." Haley replied. "Now, I need to get ready for church."  
  
"I do also." He replied, he left.  
  
"And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity." The pastor finished. "Now, all rise and we shall end our sermon in song."  
  
After the church service the six decided on an early lunch.  
  
"I don't really like church." Brooke said.  
  
"Why because you are afraid you will burst in flame as soon as you step into it?" Peyton asked.  
  
"Your horrible." Haley laughed. "So, why have you guys been so quiet?"  
  
"Huh, sorry, what?" The three said at different times.  
  
"Uh huh, alright." Brooke replied. "Girls how about a swim?"  
  
"Brooke, that is a great idea, and if these three wake up anytime soon, they can join us."  
  
They laughed and went to their room.  
  
"So, Haley are you sure you need to be going to visit Patricia today?" Brooke asked as they made their way to the pool.  
  
"Well I told her I would, I always keep my word."  
  
"Well, we don't want anything happening to you, it is third class you know." Brooke replied.  
  
"I'll be fine, Nathan is coming with me." Haley replied. Brooke nodded.  
  
"I'm going to swim my laps," Haley replied, everyday since they had gotten here she had swam 50 laps a day.  
  
"I don't know how she does that." Brooke said looking at Haley swim.  
  
"She is just committed." Peyton replied.  
  
"I am committed to things."  
  
"Lucas doesn't count." Peyton replied.  
  
"Fine. So she is committed, I am not." Brooke replied. Her and Peyton talked until Haley was finished and they all went into the pool and floated around.  
  
"I think we would all like your lobster today." Brooke said happily at dinner that night to the waiter.  
  
Everyone nodded in agreement.  
  
Soon they had their food, it was near 8:30 and Haley didn't want to be late to meet Patricia.  
  
"Well Nathan, are you ready to go?" Haley asked.  
  
"I am pretty much done, sure." He replied.  
  
"OK, well we will see you later." Haley said to the group.  
  
"Have fun." Brooke said in a sarcastic voice. Haley shook it off.  
  
"Hello Sir, Madam, where are you going tonight?" A young worker asked as the two were heading toward third class.  
  
"Oh, hello sir, we are visiting a friend in third class." Haley replied.  
  
"Alright, that is fine." he replied and he let them pass.  
  
They walked around, and Haley soon worried because tehy ahd not learned the room number.  
  
"Haley Haley!" Called a voice behind her, it was Patricia. "Hello." She said nicely as the two approached.  
  
"Hello Patricia, this is Nathan, he insisted on joining us tonight. I hope that is OK."  
  
"That is fine." She replied, she bowed her head to Nathan politely.  
  
They went into Patricia's room, for a third class Haley assumed, and Nathan knew it was pretty fancy.  
  
The three began to talk for a long time, soon a roomate of Patricia's joined them. "Oh, Hello,I'm Marie," She said uneasily. "I was going to go to bed, but I will let you finish talking."  
  
Patricia nodded, but Nathan looked to his watch. "Oh my gosh, Haley, it is jsut past 11:30, soon they will not allow us back up to first class." He exclaimed.  
  
"Oh, really, I never noticed the time go by so fast. Well We better get going, Patricia, tomorrow please have dinner with us, I will come get you around three, then we will go choose a dress of mine and get you ready for a first class dinner."  
  
"Are you sure?" She asked.  
  
"Of course." Haley replied. "Oh, Marie, we have kept you out of your room all night, I will bring you to dinner tomorow also, as a thank you."  
  
The girl looked surprised. "Well, alright." She replied, "are you sure?"  
  
"Yes." Haley replied. "Well we better go, I will see you tomorrow at three."  
  
Nathan and Haley began to walk toward the stairways up to first class.  
  
All of a sudden the ship seemed to just stop, it was strange. Then soon after they were moving again, but after only a few seconds they had stopped again.  
  
"What on earth?" Haley asked. "Why aren't we moving? Did you know of some kind of drill or something this evening?" She asked Nathan.  
  
"No, I had no idea. Maybe your friend will, would you like to go ask her?"  
  
"Alright." The two went to Patricia's room, but they also were confused of why they had stopped.  
  
"OK, if you don't know, then Nathan and I will try and understand things in the first class, see you tomorrow." Haley replied.  
  
Nathan and Haley made their wa up to the stariway, when they got there they found a crowd at the doorway, which had been closed off. It was about 12:00.  
  
"What is going on?" Nathan asked as he dragged Haley across to the front of the line. "Let us up. We need to get to our rooms."  
  
The man looked at them, he could tell they were not third class, but they were also under orders not to let anyone up. "Sir, I cannot allow you to come up here, I know that you are not third class, but if we are to let you cross, many other people will push through."  
  
"Who cares, why are you locking us in?" Haley pleaded.  
  
"Stand back Miss, it will be alright in a few minutes." Nathan pulled Haley back, he wasn't going to let on, but he was worried.  
  
Meanwhile  
  
"Everyone wake up wake up!" Screamed a worker into Lucas and Brooke's room.  
  
"What is going on?" Lucas yelled. "You have no right to come in here, get out."  
  
"The ship has hit an iceberg, if you want to live, take a life-vest, and get up to the boat decks. We are sinking, and you choose what you would prefer."  
  
Lucas' eyes widened, Brooke looked horrified.  
  
They took the life-vests and put them on instantly. "Lucas, are Nathan and Haley back?"Brooke asked.  
  
"I am not sure Brooke. I hope they are." The two ran into the other room, but the only people there were Peyton and Jake.  
  
"I won't get on a boat without her." Brooke said.  
  
"Me either." Peyton added.  
  
"Yes you will, Jake and I will find them, don't worry." Lucas said.  
  
"I will not get on a boat." Brooke said again.  
  
Ten minutes later screaming Peyton and Brooke were being carried to the boats.  
  
"No, Lucas I won't get on, Haley is gone." She screamed.  
  
"And the longer you cause Jake and I problems, the more water is filling this ship, and the shorter time we have to find Haley and my brother, I will not go get them until I get you on a boat, if you don't go, we might not find them." Lucas said in a commanding voice.  
  
Brooke who was in tears leaned up and gave him a kiss. "I love you, hurry up and get on a boat. Lucas just get on this boat, I will never forgive myself if you don't get on."  
  
"Ladies, get on the boat or we will leave without you." A worker yelled.  
  
"Lucas I won't go without you." She stood strong. She looked to the man filling the boats.  
  
He looked to see if there were any people above him in employment. "You two, get on the boat with them." He pointed to Lucas and Jake.  
  
"Lucas, I won't go without you, if you really want me to go, trust Nathan to save Haley."  
  
He had no time to think, she pulled him into the boat.  
  
As soon as they beagn to lower down all four broke into tears, and Lucas knew he had made the wrong choice. "what have I done?" he mummbled to himself.  
  
Nathan and Haley were alone, among thousands of others, but they were really alone.  
  
Chapter 25 -  
  
"Nathan, there are even more people here now, it is crowded, I'm worried!" Haley said scared.  
  
"Come on." He lightly grabbed her wrist and they went through the crowds, he held it tighter as the people got worse, and more aggravated.  
  
He took her down the hall, there was almost no one there. It was nearing twelve thirty in the morning.  
  
"Nathan, where are we going?" Haley asked, she held back her tears.  
  
"Haley, don't worry, don't cry." He stopped in the hallway, she rested her back on the wall, he could tell she was scared to death, she was shaking. He came right up clsoe to her. "I'm going to get you out of here."  
  
"Promise?" SHe asked.  
  
He leaned closer to her, rested his forhead on hers. "I promise, Haley James, I love you and I am not going to let you die on this ship tonight OK?" She kept her head down. "Haley look at me."  
  
She did. "I love you too." She had tears in her eyes. "I've been deciding for days now, but right here right now I know I am."  
  
"Good, then I have reason to want to live, let's get out of here." He took her hand again and began to run, she followed.  
  
After running for a few minutes they came to where the water was rising in. The ship was at a noticable tilt now.  
  
"Haley, there is a stairway right there, but we will have to go in the water." he gripped her hand tighter.  
  
"I will be OK, I am a good swimmer."  
  
"I know, it's not even that deep at all, it's the cold I'm worrying about." he stepped in and the chills went up his entire body instantly.  
  
She felt the same, her knees buckled from it, Nathan caught her. "I got you," He held her for a second until the cold brought them abck to the reality they were in. "Let's make a run for the staircase." They did, when they got there as fast as they could they ran up the stairs.  
  
It was locked, now tehy were out of breath, freezing, and still locked in.  
  
Haley began to cry, "There's no way out Nathan." She said, scared to death.  
  
He didn't know what to say, he loved her too much to let her know he was scared, and he didn't know how to get her out. He collapsed in defeate, she sat down in between his legs.  
  
"It's OK Nathan," She put her hand to his face, he looked her in the eyes for a brief second, "I love you so much, I don't want to think about death, I want to think about you." She kissed him passionately on the lips. She at first was motionless, but eventually gave in and showed the same emotion she had.  
  
After a few seconds of kissing he also gave in to the tears in his eyes, one fell on Haley's face and she moved back. Haley bit her lip and wiped away his tears with her finger.  
  
"This isn't how it is supposed to be." Nathan said.  
  
"It's OK Nathan, I'd rather spend these last few minutes, this much in love with you then not ever seen that I love you at all." She didn't want them to die sad like this.  
  
"Haley, I'm not going to let you die." He stood up.  
  
"Nathan what are you going to do, we can't get out." She stood up next to him. "I don't want to spend right now with false hopes."  
  
"Well look, the hinges have been beaten at already and if I try with every bit of strength I have I might be able to break it open." He began to beat the door with his body, he looked so determined.  
  
After a few minutes Haley noticed that the water was now two steps away from her their feet. She had only looked away for a short second when she heard a cracking sound, she wihipped her head around and Nathan had broken through the top hinge.  
  
"You can fit through." he said.  
  
"Well break it more and you can too." She replied harshly.  
  
He turned to her and cupped her face in his hands. "I'll never get on a boat anyway, and if you don't get up there as fast as you can you will die too."  
  
"I won't go without you." She said, the tears were pouring out faster than ever.  
  
"If you love me as much as you say you do, you will do this for me." He said.  
  
She hated him for saying that, she loved him more than life itself, she wanted nothing more than to die with him right then and there. It would kill her heart if she left without him.  
  
"Do you love me that much?" He asked again. Haley bit her lip and nodded lightly. "Then go." He pushed the baracade as far open as it would go and she climbed out. She turned back to him, and took his hand.  
  
"I love you." Nathan said. "Now run."  
  
She leaned in and kissed him through the cracks. he broke away quickly. "God Haley run!" he screamed and torn his hand from her grasp thinking it would make it easier for her to go. She saw right through him, but still ran.  
  
She went as fast as possible down a hallway, up a staircase, down another hallway, up anotehr staircase, never looking back. She ran straight for the door outside, she burst through it and stoppedjust onto the deck. Everything inside her ached. Her heart ached the most. A pain in the pit of her stomach erupted and she turned to the side and just vomitted.  
  
"Miss, are you alright?" A crew member asked. She nodded. "OK, let's get you to a boat." he lead her to one of the lifeboats, there were very few left.  
  
"All passengers on!" Another crew member screamed.  
  
"Wait!" The crew man with Haley yelled, "We have one more." He thrust Haley forward and the other man helped her into the boat. She collapsed down into the nearest empty spot on the bench possible.  
  
People all around her were screaming but all she could hear was Nathan's voice. "I promise, Haley James, I love you and I am not going to let you die on this ship tonight.........." ".....then I have reason to want to live....." "I got you," "If you love me as much as you say you do, you will do this for me." "I love you." "Now run." "God Haley run!"  
  
Before she knew it the boat had hit the water and they were starting to paddle away.  
  
Everyone else watched as they fired another distress rocket, Haley couldn't stand even looking to the ship, so she knelt over the edge and ran her fingers through the chilling water.  
  
"Don't want to be doing that miss, could loose a finger." A crewman with an irish accent who was paddleing in front of her said.  
  
She withdrew her hand. "Sir, what time is it?" Haley asked.  
  
"About twenty after one miss," He replied.  
  
She nodded, that was the last thing she remembered before a deep sleep came over her.  
  
Chapter 26 -  
  
Nathan sat there, all he could do was think of Haley. he watched the water begin to rise and he leaned back against the railing again.  
  
I can break it. he thought. He stood up again, his ankles were now in water. He decided to just take one big jump into it, if he couldn't break it that way he would just fall into the water. He flung his wholebody into the baracade and a huge cracking noise accompanied it breaking through. He fell smack on the floor, but he was free.  
  
He stood up and began to run. He ran past the group of people who he had been crowded with before.  
  
"Sir Help us!" They yelled.  
  
"Go down the hall to the next stairway, the baracade is broken!" He yelled, then ran up the second class stairs.  
  
he made his way up to the top of the staris, it was hard to get anywhere becuase the ship was on such a tilt. As he reached the upper deck he saw everyone trying to get to the back of the ship, but Nathan knew he would never make it.  
  
I'm better off jumping off the side here and swimming as fast as I can away from the ship so it doesn't suck me down too.  
  
He went over to the railing, he climbed over and looked down, then he looked in every other direction. people were running everywhere, sliding down the polished wood on the deck, but the world was in slow motion for Nathan Scott, everything around him meant nothing other than getting off the ship and getting to Haley.  
  
Nathan took a dep breath and pushed off the rail. He didn't make it very far away from the boat so he immedietely began to swim as fast as he possibly could.  
  
The water was so cold that he felt like he was getting nowhere. He strokes seemed to get slower and less powerful on every one.  
  
just breath, think of Haley he kept running those words through his head.  
  
His repeating thoughts were interupted by the worst sound he had ever heard. The ship was cracking in half.  
  
Extended far in the air the back end of the ship was cracking away from the front.  
  
he stopped only for a breif second to see it fall, but as soon as he did, the cold swept over him again. he turned abck around and swam away from the boat.  
  
There were hundreds of people all around him, many barely moving, others frantically slashing around, but just as many were still, he hated to think about the same thing having happened to Haley, Lucas, Jake, Brooke, or Peyton. Or what if it happened to him.  
  
He tried to think of different thoughts. He thought about the first time Haley blew him off, and the second and third. Then he thought about how she always looked, how she smelled on a regular basis, and everything else that made him fall in love with her.  
  
"Hey! You!" Called a voice, it seemed really distant. Nathan looked up, a group of men were all sitting on an overturned lifeboat. "Swim for us! Swim!"  
  
Nathan began to swim to them, he did it slowly, but he knew he had to get there.  
  
he reached the edge of the boat, and was so cold that holding onto it was impossible. Someone reached down and clutched his arm. "I got you. Don't worry." he said as he lifted Nathan out of the bone chilling water.  
  
"Thank you." Nathan was able to say after a few seconds.  
  
"No problem mate, but we need to get out of here, we might get stuck inside a huge amount of bodies." The thought of it made Nathan's stomach turn.  
  
"Why did you pick me up?" Nathan asked. "There are others who are alive out there."  
  
"Yes, but not for long, most are barely moving, you looked like you might make it." He replied. "If it matters, I'm Charles."  
  
"It matters, you saved my life." Nathan replied. "I'm Nathan Scott." He replied.  
  
"OK Nathan Scott, would you mind taking an oar, we have been paddling for a while now and some of us need a little break." he motioned around to the other men sitting there, none had said anything, they all had the same vacant expression of their faces.  
  
"I will." He offered to take one from a boy who looked no older than thirteen. The boy looked greatful.  
  
After only a few brief minutes of using the oar, Nathan could feel it in his muscles, but the lights from the other boats was growing closer.  
  
The ship was gone from sight now, all that could be heard was the screams of the people in the water. It sounded as if they were either very far away, or they were all losing the energy to yell. Nathan liked the think it was the first option.  
  
"Hello!!" Yelled Charles. "Our boat is overturned, there are about twenty of us." He was trying to get someone to hear, but there was no response, Charles' vice seemed to be becoming quieter and quieter.  
  
"Help us!" Nathan yelled, he hurt his throat trying to get someone's attention.  
  
"Is there anybody there?" helled a voice back.  
  
"Yes! Yes! We are on an overturned boat." Nathan replied.  
  
"Come towards the light." The voice yelled.  
  
Nathan looked at the other men on the boat. They looked exhausted. "We can't we have no energy left." Nathan screamed.  
  
There was no reply for a long time. Finallythey heard. "We will come get you then."  
  
They began to get excited from the news. They got too rowdy and the young boy fell into the water.  
  
"Help him up." Charles yelled, Nathan was ahead of him, he had already exended his hand to the boy, the boy couldn't grab back.  
  
Nathan didn't think, he jumped in after the boy and lifted him high enough for the other men to get him.  
  
"Nathan grab my hand!" Nathan heard, he thought it was Charles, but he looked up behind him to find Lucas staring down at him with his arm outstretched. Nathan took his brothers hand.  
  
He brought him up into the boat and Nathan had never seen Lucas so overjoyed. "Haley, where's Haley?" Nathan asked.  
  
"I haven't seen her Nathan." Lucas said, bowing his head.  
  
"I sent her up ahead of me, she went up, she must have gotten on a boat." Nathan said frantically.  
  
Lucas put his hand on his brothers shoulder. "Nathan, lots of people didn't get onto a boat." He replied.  
  
"Don't say that! Haley is alright! She is alright!" Nathan screamed at the top of his lungs.  
  
Lucas didn't say anything and Nathan was able to calm down.  
  
"Can someone get him a blanket?" Lucas finally asked. "One for each of these men."  
  
"We only have five. Give them to those who are the wettest." A crew member said. Nathan, the young boy and three others got blankets.  
  
They reached the other life boats.  
  
"I need anyone with a blanket, and is dry, to give them to me." The same crew member said.  
  
"Why we are cold?" One women in an obviously expensive dress and jewelry said in a snotty voice.  
  
"Ma'am, you may keep your blanket, but these men are wet, and frozen, you had no ounce of wetness on you at all. Everyone on these boats are sick of you complaining about everything. Look over there! Look where our ship used to be. Look how many people still are in the water, now you need to shut up and let the other people with any decency give their blankets to these freezing people." Lucas screamed. he had been puting up with that women and her complaints for the entire time.  
  
Nathan sat alone, he was starting to think about what Lucas said, what if Haley was gone. He had to think of something else.  
  
But the thought of it was in his head until the moment he fell asleep, which came soon. Chapter 27 -  
  
Haley woke up before sunrise, she was unsure of how long she had slept, or what had happened to any of her friends.  
  
She soon noticed that she had her head rested on someones lap.  
  
"Oh sorry." Her voice cracked as she tried to sit up.  
  
"It's fine." Replied a familiar voice.  
  
"Brooke!" Haley exclaimed. "You were on my boat?"  
  
"No, not really, after you had fallen asleep the crew members took all the women out of my boat and the men went looking for survivors." She said with a smile. "Peyton is right in front of you if you were wondering."  
  
Haley looked at the person in front of her, Peyton looked tired and like she had had no sleep for days.  
  
"We were really worried about you Haley." Peyton said. "We didn't know if you and Nathan had even made it out of third class."  
  
"We didn't, they had us locked down there, Nathan had to break through a barricade thing to get me out."  
  
"What about him?" Brooke asked, her expression changed drastically.  
  
"He told me to run, I didn't want to, but he said that if I loved him as much as I said I did I would go." Haley replied. She curled up in Brooke's lap again, Brooke stroked her hair. She didn't know what to say to her friend. "Lucas and Jake, they got off right?" Haley mumbled quietly to her friends.  
  
"Yeah, but we got split up when they went with the other men." Peyton replied.  
  
"That's good then." Haley replied.  
  
"How you doing Nate?" Lucas asked his brother as he woke up.  
  
"I'm tired." Nathan replied. "have you heard anything about Haley?" He asked.  
  
Lucas shook his head. "We are a little ahead of all the other boats. The Carpathia is right there, we are getting off this boat." He said trying to cheer Nathan up. "It's about four o'clock"  
  
Nathan nodded. "Brooke and Peyton are OK right?" He asked.  
  
"Yeah, they put all the women in our boat into a different boat, and all the men got in here to go get you guys and then look for survivors." Lucas replied. "Oh, and Jake is right there sleeping if you wanted to know."  
  
"I'm glad." Nathan replied  
  
They soon reached the Carpathia, Nathan woke Jake up and they lowered a ladder down the side of the ship, asking people to climb up. Nathan, Lucas and Jake had no problem, they were relatively alright, except that Nathan had mild pneumonia; but some people who had major frost bite couldn't feel their feet, so climbing was a very hard process, everyone else tried to help.  
  
Boats came one by one, none had Brooke Peyton or Haley on them.  
  
It was nearing 8:30 and Haley, Brooke, Peyton and teh otehr survivors on their boat sat silently. A crew member finally spoke.  
  
"The Carpathia! Look!" He pointed, and everyones gaze followed his arm, it was off in the distance, but still there.  
  
They were overjoyed. Haley watched smiles light up Brooke and Peyton's face, but she was just not able to smile, Nathan was somewhere on the botom of the ocean, what did she have to be happy about.  
  
Nathan stood at the side of the ship, people pointed to a lifeboat in the distance.  
  
"That's the last one." A crew member said. Nathan considered staying to see if Haley was on it, but he couldn't even think about how he would feel if she wasn't. He walked inside.  
  
Lucas and jake waited anxiously, they knew Brooke and Peyton were on this one, because there was no other boats to come.  
  
They helped bring the survivors up, Lucas and Jake waited until they saw Peyton and Brooke come up the ladder.  
  
Lucas gave Brooke a kiss then leaned close to her ear. "I'm never letting you out of my sight again." He whispered.  
  
When Jake was able to get Peyton into the boat he pulled her into a large ug, she finally felt comfortable in his arms. "Don't ever make me move." She said sweetly.  
  
"Never." he replied. "Peyton, marry me." He whispered. She smiled and nodded.  
  
Haley had jsut climbed up the ladder and watched Peyton and Brooke with Lucas and Jake, she just wanted to be alone for a while.  
  
She found a spot on deck that was unoccupied and sat down, she was beat. All she had done for the last few hours was think about Nathan, she just wanted to be by herself and work stuff out.  
  
Nathan was doing the same, he sat in the dining room and ate his first real meal in 12 hours. There were people everywhere around him, but he just completely tuned them out, all he wanted now was just some alone time, no one else.  
  
He would have to avoid Lucas Jake and them all morning, the last thing he needed was to see them happy.  
  
he hated them for being so happy right now, for not being there for him, but he also knew that if Haley was here, he would be doing the same, so he didn't know what to think.  
  
"Can I have another brandy?" he asked. he figured if he couldn't get out of the real world, being drunk in it would be alright.  
  
He just didn't care anymore.  
  
Neither did she. Chapter 28 -  
  
Haley sat on the deck listening to people cry all around her, she told herself no more crying, she didn't want it anymore. She loved Nathan, but it was a quick romance and she would be able to move on eventually. She hoped.  
  
Haley curled up there all day, as it neared night all of the people went inside to the warmth of the ship's dining room which was now a place for people to sleep.  
  
Haley didn't move, people kept walking by to make sure she was alright.  
  
"Miss, is everything OK?" A man asked in front of her.  
  
"It's fine." She replied. "I just need to be away from crowds for a while." They nodded in understanding.  
  
She decided she needed to move or she wold freeze on the spot, she got up and began to walk away.  
  
"Nathan!" Lucas yelled in his drunk brothers ear.  
  
"What?" He asked.  
  
"Get up." Lucas commanded, he reached his hand to him and he got up. "How drunk are you?"  
  
"A lot," he replied smugly. "Let me sleep."  
  
"No, you need to go find Haley." Lucas said angrily.  
  
"She's not here."  
  
"Yes she is Nathan!" Brooke exclaimed, "She was on my boat with me!"  
  
"What?" Nathan exclaimed excited. "Where is she?"  
  
"I'm not sure, but here have this coffee and go and find her!" Brooke said shoving a cup of coffee in his face.  
  
Haley walked around the deck by herself, she was so amazed at how little was going on around her, but so mcuh was going on inside her.  
  
She began to get dizzy, her world began to spin around her, and soon she fell.  
  
"Haley?" Asked a voice in front of her, she could see bright lights all around her. She could see a blurry figure of what looked like Nathan.  
  
"Nathan?" She asked worried that she might have died.  
  
"I'm here."  
  
"Am I dead?" She asked slowly.  
  
"Ha, Hales, you think we would let you die that easily, especially when your soulmate was drinking his lfie away at the bar?" Said another farmiliar voice, Haley began to see clearer and she saw Peyton standing right there.  
  
"But, Nathan, you, you were stuck down below." Haley said confused out of her mind.  
  
"Well the thought of you being lonely for the rest of your life was too much to bear, not to mention the thought of you marrying someone else." Nathan said with a smile, he leaned down and kissed her forehead.  
  
"What happened?" Haley asked. "Last night?"  
  
"the doctor said you were overwhelmed and just collapsed from lack of food for a day and too much physical and mental strain." Lucas said. "If Nathan hadn't found you you may have froze to death.  
  
Haley smiled at Nathan.  
  
Within the next few days Haley was told she was alright and could leave the hospital.  
  
Her and Nathan stood at the edge of the deck watching the city of New York get closer and closer. Lucas, Brooke, Peyton, and Jake came up and stood next to them.  
  
"So, now we have to make a new life." Jake said.  
  
"Guys, let's just pormise that this new life of ours we live it together." Haley said. "All of us."  
  
"Well Haley, Peyton and i lvoe you too much to ever let you go, and Nathan Jake and Lucas over here are attached to us at the hip. We won't have to worry about us getting split up."  
  
"Promise?" Haley asked.  
  
"Promise." Everyone chimed.  
  
Haley buried her head in Nathan's shoulder and let the wind just catch her. She had never felt this content in her life, this was home. 


End file.
